Fatal Attraction
by MushroomReality
Summary: Jasmine is a princess of Friardor, a Kingdom with magic. As an act of rebellion towards her father she takes refuge in Camelot and meets Sir Leon, a knight. To survive in Camelot and avoid initiating a war between the two Kingdoms she must hide her identity and ability to use magic. Love blooms between the two but Leon will have to decide between Jasmine or his loyalty to the King.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This all happens between Series 4 and 5 just so it doesn't get too confusing._

I, Jasmine Wolstenholme, Princess of Friardor, was currently standing in a rotting house that one would definitely not find someone of my ranking in. In fact you would not find a princess living in such a place, but that's exactly what I was doing. With my own free will I had chosen to live in a house fit for peasants and farmers with my two trusted knights, Franklin and Colin.

"Are you sure you don't want to go back, my lady?" I turned to look at my comrades standing behind me and examined their faces for any tell tale signs of hesitation. "I told you, you didn't have to come with me. You might lose your positions as the knights of the King." I said when I noticed a subtle hint of worry on their faces.

Franklin and Colin had come along with me on this act of rebellion against my father. I wanted my father to understand the pain of losing a child, the same pain that he caused his people every time he took a life. "My lady? Lady Jasmine?" Franklin repeated to grasp my attention as he cautiously walked closer. "My lady, it's almost been a month since we'd left the castle, I'm sure your father has repented for what he has done."

"No!" I growled, "We are not leaving this place! Being with those who are unfortunate brings me more comfort than sleeping on a comfortable bed." The two knights sighed, knowing full well that they could not counter my wishes and went back to polishing their armour.

The Kingdom of Camelot was where we took refuge after riding for three whole days on horseback from my Kingdom of Friardor. I wanted a place far from Friardor, a place where my father could not find me. We were living amongst the peasants and farmers of Camelot, a place where no-one knew who I was. We had managed to lay low and blend in with the lower class citizens, offering to help tend their crops and farms, something that I was no stranger to. Back in my Kingdom of Friardor, often I would assist the lower class with their daily routines. Franklin and Colin deemed the area safe enough to allow me to be out on my own so they remained in the house for most of the days.

_Knock, knock. _I heard beating against the worn out wooden door, "Jasmine! The new crops have been harvested. Get what you can before they go off to the inner part of the Kingdom." The voice on the other side informed me.

I placed the cup that was resting lightly against my palms onto the table and pushed out the chair before heading out the door. Franklin and Colin were used to me leaving without so much as a word to them. With the cart filled with freshly harvested vegetables I began to transfer the fresh produce into my bag when suddenly the sky turned an ominous dark shade and an ear splitting scream resonated through my ear drums. In the distance I could see the townspeople running towards me, towards their homes. I stood there in shock and wondered what was going on? Suddenly, a goblin of some sort swooped over the citizens. "Frank! Colin!" I beckoned for my trusted knights as I continued to look at the creature, "Come quickly! Bring my sword!"

With haste they were standing by my side as Franklin handed me my sword and Colin stood tall, ready for battle. The Goblin-like creature was fast, I couldn't keep up with it. Using all his might, Franklin swung his sword which thankfully the sharp blade had managed to slice across the creature's arm, leaving a a deep gash which immediately began to ooze out what looked to be purple blood. The creature howled in pain and began extending and retracting it's wings in a violent manner. It's eyes turned a blood shot red as it began to seethe in rage over the wound. I knew at that moment we had angered the beast to an epic proportion and for the first time in my life I was not sure if we could defeat this evil creature.

With blinding fast speed it swung it's large fist towards me but luckily Colin had tackled me onto the ground and away from the creature's furious fist. We laid on the ground, our breaths laboured as we tried to scramble away from the goblin. Colin stood on his feet and swung his sword low but narrowly missed the goblin's legs, leaving him wide open for an attack. Right before my eyes I watched as Colin was sent flying back by the giant fist. Fearing for his safety I forced my body to a standing position, "Don't you dare!" I warned in a commanding voice. It seemed to have caught the goblin's attention because as soon as the words left my mouth it turned it's ugly face towards me. I took a deep breath and slightly bent my knees as my body fell into a fighting position with my sword firmly clasped between my two hands and my body facing the goblin's on an angle. I focused my gaze and attention solely on the creature and readied myself for what was to come next.

With a loud battle cry I began running towards the creature and pulled back my sword for a powerful swing but before it could even make contact, I saw the creature's fist head straight towards my face. My eyes widened in horror realising that I had no time to react and this would most likely be the death of me. That's when I felt it. It felt like a large boulder was being thrown against my face, crushing every delicate bone there. The pain was unbearable. I could feel blood dripping down my face, no, it wasn't dripping, more like pouring out. There was an intense, unbearable throbbing sensation all around that I could feel but could not alleviate. Suddenly the world began to spin and I no longer had control over my limbs. I swayed unsteadily before falling to the ground rather ungracefully and all I could feel was an unknown weight on top of me.

Before I could lose consciousness I heard a voice yell out over the sounds of battle, "SIR LEON! A YOUNG WOMAN HAS FALLEN."

That was the last thing I heard before I fell into a deep, black abyss of unconsciousness.

_A/N: Just want to say a massive thank-you to my friend for helping me out with editing this story.  
_


	2. Chapter 2

When I came to, I continued to lay still and take in what was occurring around me. My deceased mother always told me that my ears were my second greatest advantage, a close second to my speed. My ears were almost elf-like, even in appearance, where I could hear the slightest sounds of movement. The elders in my Kingdom would sometimes tell me that I was probably a descendant of elves due to my appearance, speed and the way I could effortlessly handle a bow and arrow. If only I had one during the battle.

I listened intently to my surroundings. It was difficult to concentrate on particular sounds because all I could hear were a jumble of incoherent random noises. Despite the confusing and random sounds invading my ear drums I knew that I was no longer in the presence of those goblins. The sounds of their loud screeches were long gone, replaced by the groans and whimpering of those injured, combined with the cries of women and children.

My ears pricked up to the sounds of a small child crying over what I guessed was the loss of someone close to them, their mother perhaps? They reminded me of that cold and unforgettable night my mother was on death's door. Those in the eerie hallways of the castle could only hear the wailing of a young princess at only the tender age of ten. Her final words still engraved in my mind, still as clear as the day she said them six years ago.

*Flashback*

I sat there alone on the soft sheets of my mother's bed. My father was away from the Kingdom at the time, trying to convince the surrounding Kingdoms to sign the peace treaty he had offered. When he left to visit the surrounding Kingdoms he knew not of my mother's rapidly deteriorating health. He was well aware of her poor health but my mother being the selfless woman that she was, convinced him that she was in good health so he made way to the other Kingdoms, leaving both my mother and myself behind.

I clutched her hand as she whispered consoling words. I hated how she continued to smile knowing that any of the words leaving her mouth could be her last.

In front of me was my mother laying on the bed, within mere minutes of death. Her breath was laboured as she smiled at me weakly. She knew that she was on death's doorstep as she began to reminisce about the day the we fooled my father into finding a rare herb and to end up falling into a lake, I couldn't help but give her a smile.

I remember that day, we were on one of our family outings in the forest where my mother taught me how to identify the different plants that lived in the forest. She would have my father and my full attention as she described each new plant species we encountered. Whenever a small bird or rabbit came by, she would be so gentle whenever they came close to her, the complete opposite of my father who would always think of it as a chance to go hunting.

The same day my father fell into the lake, my mother had told my father to climb up a tree where a "rare herb" was supposed to be growing. She had my father wrapped around her finger because whenever she asked him of something, he'd always follow through like a love sick puppy. His love for her was unrivalled. I found the whole ordeal humourous, watching my father struggle to pull his old body up the tall tree. Normally my mother would have given me the task to climb such a tree as she knew despite my young age I was one of the best climbers in the forest, well that's what she would tell me. When my father thought he discovered the herb, the branch underneath his foot had given way and snapped, plunging straight down into the lake.

"There. I finally see that beautiful smile of yours," my mother whispered softly when she stopped reminiscing about happier times. I could hear the strain in her voice and knew the end was drawing closer. "Don't ever lose that smile. Promise me that you'll keep smiling after I'm gone. It will be the one that will keep our people safe and hopeful. Don't forget that. I love yo-"

Before she could even finish the word I saw her head fall weakly to the side as her hand loosened its grip on mine. I clenched her hands tighter in my own as I laid my head on her stomach and wept inconsolable tears. I was, alone, in a candlelit room with my deceased mother.

I couldn't keep my promise after her death. My face was emotionless and stoic for the longest time after her death. My body had no feeling whatsoever and I remember feeling completely empty during those times. Looking back at those times I remembered that my father was able to return to his duties as per usual after a week of grieving, but my spirit wasn't as strong-willed as his, I was only a child when she died. Servants would be ordered to bring other children into the castle to keep me company but I just sat there alone. Occasionally, a child would attempt to include me in their games but I ignored them, my mind was constantly swirling with thoughts of my mother whom I missed so much.

However, it took three months until I was able to smile again. It was when I had first encountered the caring and friendly nature of my two loyal knights, Franklin and Colin. It was in the stable when I cracked my first smile after so long. It was the middle of spring, the sun shone through the gaps of the stable walls. The horses were quite lively and neighed from time to time whenever they caught me staring at them. They looked so peaceful. I would sigh occasionally at the thought of my mother because she would always come by the stable to keep the horses company.

As I sat quietly in the stable my attention was taken away from the horses when the peacefulness was disrupted by a young knight who stumbled in through the doors. His features did not resemble one of a knight's, tall and slim figured to the point where it looked like he could break in half at any moment. Another walked in a few moments later, quite the opposite of the slim figured knight. This one was much broader and well built, however, he was a head or two shorter than the first. The well built knight lifted the other onto his feet and picked out the few pieces of hay that was in the other's curly, chocolate brown hair.

They noticed me sitting on a bale of hay as they took notice of their surroundings. They smiled cautiously at me. The same smile I would receive from everyone I had encountered during the three months after my mother's death. It was a smile you would give to a small child or an animal so they wouldn't be afraid of you. I continued to stare at them unamused.

"Was there something you needed?" I finally asked after a long period of silence. They looked at each other with a look of uncertainty. I let out a resigned huff and repeated the question, almost demanding for an immediate response.

The slim figured knight quickly replied, his voice slightly trembling, "We've been looking for you Princess. We found something that you might enjoy."

I studied their faces. Was this another one of my father's plans to abolish my state of depression? If it was, I wanted none of it. During that time all of his ideas were terrible. I looked at the well built knight and noticed that his smile looked genuine. He must have truly believed that this 'something' was going to bring me the happiness that I had not felt in the past three months. I decided to give this 'something' a chance.

"Is that so? What are your names?" My voice was monotone, almost cold.

"I am Sir Colin and this is Sir Franklin, my lady," the well built knight said as they both bowed in front of me.

I grimaced at the formality. My mother always taught me to treat everyone as an equal to myself. She detested the fact that everyone would bow down to her whenever she was in their presence just because she was married to the King.

"So Colin," I said removing all forms of formality. "Where is it?"

They both smiled, realising that I had accepted their idea that would bring back my happiness. "This way, my lady." Colin led me out of the stable.

"Jasmine. Just call me Jasmine," I insisted as I followed them out of the Friardor and into the forest.

We stopped in front of a dark cave. I felt uneasy as Franklin and Colin were about to enter the endless darkness.

"Wait!" There was a hint of panic in my voice as I called out to them before they entered the unknown and were out of my sight. Immediately they climbed out of the cave and were back in my sight. "Where are you taking me?" They acknowledged the harshness in my tone and responded quickly.

"It's alright Princess, you do not need to enter the cave," Franklin reassured me and turned to Colin. "Stay with her. I'll go retrieve it." With that Franklin entered the cave as Colin walked towards me with a huge smile on his face. Whatever this gift was, they must have been extremely proud of it.

It took some time until Franklin came out of the cave and I was beginning to worry. Colin had to pull me back several times as I tried to make my way towards the cave, hoping to bring back Franklin even if it was to bring him back without their gift. I was more concerned about his wellbeing than the gift that had to be retrieved from an ominous cave.

I let out a huge sigh of relief when he finally came out of the shadows. I was so relieved, I completely over looked the gift he had along side him as I ran to hug him tightly. Surprised by my sudden embrace, his body was rigid and took him some time to process what I was doing. He mumbled something incoherently to Colin. By the way Franklin returned my embrace it was assumed that Colin had told him of my worries over his wellbeing.

As I released myself from his embrace, I heard something snort beside me. I leapt back to get a good look at what made that sound. My eyes widened in astonishment as there was a large white horse with it's mane and tail having a slight blonde colour to it. I couldn't believe how beautiful and magical it looked in the sunlight.

"I'm guessing that you like her?" Franklin asked with a huge smile across his face.

I tried to reply but none of the noises coming out of my mouth were coherent enough to produce a proper word.

Colin chuckled, "That sounds like a yes."

I slowly walked up to the horse so I wouldn't startle it. As I stroked it's mane, I realised how well groomed this horse was. This definitely wasn't a wild horse that they had found in the woods. I began to grow suspicious of how these two knights had come across such a beautiful horse like this. Before I could interrogate them, Colin answered my internal questions as though he had read my mind.

"This was a gift from your mother."

I quickly turned from the horse surprised by the mention of my mother. Colin continued as he knew that he had my full attention.

"She hid the horse in this cave so that others would not be able to find it. It was actually supposed to be her gift to you for your thirteenth birthday but when she knew that she was almost at death's door, she assigned us to give her to you once she had passed away."

Tears quickly fell from my eyes as I looked back at the horse. My final gift from my mother. The horse whinnied and leaned it's head on mine, acknowledging that I was to be it's master. I giggled as it's breath tickled my ears.

"Does she have a name?" I asked as I smiled towards the two knights.

Franklin shook his head. "Your mother said that you, as her master, should be the one to name her."

It took me some time to think of a name. I thought of many different ones. At one point I was thinking of naming the horse after my mother, but the thought of saying my mother's name to call a horse made me feel a little uneasy. There was one name that had been playing on my tongue from the very beginning. Whenever I looked back at the horse to figure out what name to give her, a slight smile played on my lips and I knew that I had finally found the perfect name for her.

"Eina. Her name is Eina."

Eina neighed as if to tell me that she was delighted with the name. I turned to the two knights who looked at me confused. I guessed that they wanted an explanation for the name I had chosen for my new companion.

"Eina is the word for happiness in the Elvish language," I said with a smile. "And she was the first to finally make me happy, apart from you two but you two already have names."

Since that day, Franklin, Colin and I were inseparable. Going on adventures and getting into mischief with Eina and their two horses alongside us.

*End flashback*

My thoughts were interrupted by a very familiar voice.

"Can you keep a watchful eye on her? I need to tend to the other villagers"

"Of course, Gaius and what of the other two?" A deep but gentle voice asked cautiously.

"There was nothing I could do for them, I'm afraid."

I opened my eyes slightly, so I wouldn't be blinded by the brightness of the room. I slowly moved my head to the side as the attack still made me feel a little light headed. I realised that I was in a grand hall room where many of the injured were being attended to. As I slowly scanned my surroundings, all I could see were bodies laid on the wooden floor or, like myself, laid on benches.

Remembering that I wasn't alone during the attack, I sat up and searched for my two friends. They had to be here somewhere, there was no way they were left back at the small village unless they were deceased. I gasped. With a hard shake of my head, the thoughts drifted away from my mind. The two strongest knights I've ever known could not have been defeated. It was an impossible thought. However, somewhere in the deepest reaches of my mind, I was still afraid that my thoughts may be true.

Beginning to become hysterical, I leapt off the bench forgetting about the fragility of my body. Someone took hold of my body before I hit the floor. The muscular figure held me up against his body, allowing the blood to rush down to my legs so I could stand properly.

"Steady. You still need some time to recover." I heard the same deep voice say.

I looked up at the man whose voice it belonged to. To me he looked rather large with my head only reaching his chest. He had curly, dark blonde hair that seemed to just glow in the light. You could tell that he came from battle as his slightly bearded face showed fatigue from the attack. Although he was a knight, one who has seen his fair share of bloodshed, his greyish-green eyes were still able to look softly into my pale blue eyes with concern written across his face.

My thoughts quickly went back to Frank and Colin. I looked away from the knight. My eyes darting around the room in search for my loyal friends. As my head grew more lightheaded from the search, my hope was beginning to diminish. I turned to look at the people who were laid behind me. There they were, only a few bodies away from the bench. Their bodies, though covered with scars from the attack, lay peaceful on their own separate benches.

Finally at ease, I turned back to the knight and thanked him. I gave an embarrassed smile as I noticed that I was still leaning on his chest. I tried to move away from him but my legs could not withstand the weight of my body and had to lean on the bench to regain some balance. The knight quickly came to my aid and lifted me to sit onto the bench. The task seemed effortless to him. Carrying me as if I was merely the weight of a feather.

"So, are you in charge of taking care of me?" I asked thinking back to the conversation he had with person I assumed went by the name of Gaius.

"Yes, I believe so. The court physician told me to keep an eye on you." I could sense a slight cheekiness to his tone, unless that was how he usually talked to people.

"So knight of Camelot, what is your name?"

"Sir Leon, my lady."

I was startled by how he addressed me. A knight wouldn't call a peasant a 'lady'. It was only noble women or royalty that they would speak to in that manner. Did he know?

"Leon, I mean Sir Leon," I quickly corrected myself. "I am no lady, I'm merely a farmer's daughter. No need for such titles." A lie I had told countless people in the village that was attacked.

A side of his lips lifted in a slight smile. "Oh, my apologies. Your beauty had me mistaken you for someone of royalty."

My face grew warm as I sat there stunned. Did this knight, Sir Leon, hint that he fancied me?


	3. Chapter 3

_One, two, three._

I took a deep breath and blinked blankly at the handsome knight in front of me. Had he just? Did he? Was I really being complimented by this man?

_One, two, three._

Another three breaths I took. I managed to calm myself after hearing such a flattering comment that had my cheeks burning with a blush. I realised that the sounds in the hall grew louder during my conversation with Sir Leon. With the slight movement of my head to either side, I got a better look at my surroundings. The amount of people had grown in numbers. I was surprised that the hall could fit so many people. There were a huge amount of people laid on the floor which I assumed were the people who didn't survive the attack. I counted as many in the hundreds, of bodies covered in blood or shielded away from the public eye with white cloths.

I closed my eyes and said a short prayer in my head for the deceased. I heard Sir Leon clear his throat and I realised that I had completely forgotten that he was still next to me. How long had I been sitting in silence for? I quickly opened my eyes and smiled at him, trying to think of a response to his comment.

Before I could respond to Leon's compliment, Gaius' assistant interrupted our conversation. He informed me that Gaius' chambers was where I was to spend the night. The assistant beckoned for me to follow and led me through the castle. As I followed him I felt a sense of nostalgia. It was as if I had walked through these hallways before. However, I couldn't grasp any distinct memories. I shook away the feeling and palmed it off as just me being home sick. There was no-way that I would allow myself to be weakened by memories of my Kingdom. I had to stay strong and continue to fight against my father because I refused to stop until he repented for his sins.

As he helped me up the stairs, I found more information about Gaius' assistant. His name was Merlin, a very sweet and charming young man. He worked for the young King of Camelot and from his tone, he seemed to like the King though, he did sometimes spit out his words when he talked about the days when he was treated very poorly. I couldn't blame him, some of the things he told me were absolutely disgusting and made me rethink of times where I might have been horrible to those who worked in the castle.

Merlin seemed to know quite a bit of information about my true identity as the princess of Friardor. I soon found out Gaius had shared this piece of secretive information with him. Then the question arose in my mind, who was this 'Gaius' and how did he know so much about me?

"Gaius is the court physician," Merlin informed me.

"Yes, but how does he know me?" I asked, still confused.

"He told me that he knew your mother."

Instantaneously a flood of memories came to me. My mother holding my small hand as we walked up a flight of stairs. The same flight of stairs that Merlin and I were walking up. However, my mother and I had to wear cloaks to cover our faces from being recognised by the guards as we sneaked into the castle. My mother wanted to thank Gaius for saving her on the day that the King sent his knights to kill those who used magic a few years before I was born. It was the first and only time that I had met Gaius so my memories of him weren't very clear. With my curiosity satisfied I was certain, Gaius was the man who saved my mother from the wrath of the late King of Camelot.

"Here we are," Merlin announced quite cheerily as he opened the door.

As I entered the room, I instantly recognised the large amounts of books surrounding the room. It was just as how I remembered it eleven years ago. Stacks of books scattered everywhere. Some were on shelves, while others were on benches or placed haphazardly on the floor. Herbs, pots and medicines littered the room. Even though the room looked disorderly, it still had a homey feel to it. I took a deep breath and smiled as I exhaled. I could see why my mother was fond of this place. Though the King was residing only metres away, my mother would feel extremely secure in this room.

Merlin led me to the room where I was to rest. It was extremely small, so small that it could only fit a bed and a wardrobe. I wasn't complaining though. It was only slightly smaller than the house I was living in with my two companions in the village.

"I'll be just outside if you need me," Merlin told me as I sat on the bed to see how soft it was and it was surprisingly comfortable.

"When will Gaius be back?" I asked him just before he was about to leave the room.

"He'll probably still be tending to the injured throughout the night so most likely in the morning. You should get some rest in the meantime," he gave me a slight smile as he left the room and closed the door behind him.

As I laid myself on the bed, my thoughts wandered. A smile played on my lips as all I could think about was that knight, Sir Leon. He seemed very gentle and sweet, but slightly flirtatious. I was somewhat drawn to him but I could not pinpoint the exact reason why I was so attracted to him. I had met a few knights like him in Friardor and yet I wanted to know more about him. I groaned and pushed my face further into the pillow to muffle the sounds. I had to stop allowing these thoughts into my mind. My priorities had to be set straight, there was no way I could be distracted from the reason why I was here in Camelot. I had to remind myself the reason why I had made the move, to rebel against my father.

I must have dozed off while thinking of Sir Leon because the next thing I knew, I woke up from a nightmare. There were rows and rows of corpses laid down either side of me as I ran towards darkness. I was stopped by my two companions at the end of the rows. Their faces were expressionless, stoic and blank. It looked like they were sleeping but on their feet. I yelled out their names as I tried to get them to open their eyes. No matter how many times I repeated their names there was no reaction at all, their muscles stayed rigid by their sides. It was only when I began shaking their arms that their eyes shot open and that was when I woke up, their white eyes still embedded in my mind.

I looked at the window and noticed that sun had begun to set. I hadn't realised that I was asleep for so long, it was already late afternoon and all I had done was sleep. With a deep breath, I tried to clear my mind of the nightmare. However, the nightmare did make me realise one thing, that I wanted to go see Franklin and Colin.

When I walked out of the room, I noticed Gaius was working on some herbs. I closed the door quietly behind me so I wouldn't disturb whatever he was doing. Though, I realised that treading quietly towards him wasn't a great idea. He turned slightly to his left, towards where I stood and flinched, startled by my sudden presence. In his shock he let go of an elixir he was holding but I was able to catch it before it fell to the ground.

"Jasmine, you mustn't do that! I am guessing that you got that from your mother," he shook his head and sighed before continuing on with his work. The thought of my mother must have slightly upset him.

I watched as he mixed herbs and different liquids with each other. Some changed colour with certain combinations, while others would bubble. I looked in awe at the different interactions he was creating, it was captivating.

"I'm happy that you've finally decided to get out of bed. We didn't know how much longer you would want to stay in bed," he said without looking up from his work.

"You should have woken me. Wait, how long have I been asleep for?" My brows furrowed in confusion.

"It's been three days," he said as if it were nothing.

"Three days?!" I exclaimed.

"I didn't think you wanted to be disturbed, so I let you stay in the room for as long as you needed."

Bewilderment covered my face as I asked, "What do you mean? Of course you would know whether I was well enough."

He finally looked up at me, surprised, "Did Sir Leon not tell you?"

I shook my head. "About what?"

Gaius sighed and moved away from his work to pull out a bench. He motioned for me to sit next to him but it only increased my anxiety as I sat down. The memories of the nightmare returned and I had a vague feeling as to why. But I didn't want to acknowledge it until I heard the words that I was hoping not to hear. His tone was soft and careful as he asked me questions.

"Did you have two companions with you when you made your way here?"

I nodded slowly. My heart was beating faster. I was starting to find it harder to breathe.

"I was hoping that Sir Leon would tell you when you woke up in the hall."

I couldn't bare to look him in the eyes. I knew what was coming. As much as I wished it not to be true, I knew the nightmare had to mean something. I knew that there was a reason as to why I thought back to when I first met them when I was back in the hall. Gaius probably knew that I had figured out what he was going to tell me and pulled me into his arms.

"I'm so sorry Jasmine. I couldn't do anything for them. Their injuries were too great. They're no longer among us."

A burst of emotions was released from my body in forms of tears. I couldn't stop myself. Franklin and Colin were my most loyal and closest friends. They were like family to me, the two older brothers who I wish I had. I couldn't believe it, I refused to believe it, the pain I felt was just too great to even comprehend. I could feel the darkness return, the same feeling that overshadowed me when my mother had passed away. However, during that time I had Franklin and Colin to bring back my spirits. Who did I have now? I didn't want to crawl back to my father just because I knew I was now on my own. No, I will not crawl back to my father.

After a few minutes, I took a few deep breaths and calmed my raging emotions. I wiped away the last few tears and made my way to the front door of Gaius' chambers. I had to find their bodies and bury them. I couldn't allow their bodies to rot in a place like this. I wanted to bury them in a place of meaning or somewhere much more beautiful than to be thrown out like scraps of rubbish. I rushed out the door, ignoring Gaius' question about where I was going.

I made my way to the courtyard and hoped that the bodies were still there. In Friardor, the bodies of the dead were laid in the courtyard to count the number of deceased after a battle. I passed Merlin on the way to the courtyard but didn't bother to greet him. I left him confused as to where I was headed and I couldn't care less, all I could think of were my two friends, my two _deceased _friends.

Once I reached the courtyard, I was happy to see that the bodies were not yet removed. However, for bodies to be lying there for three days, the stench from the bodies were almost unbearable. I quickly found a cart and searched for my friends' bodies. Once I was able to find them, place their bodies in the cart and cover them with a cloth; I pulled the cart towards the entrance of the citadel towards the outer villages.

By this time, it was growing dark and the people living in the citadel were in their homes, protected from the harsh, cold weather of the night. I didn't think about bringing a cloak with me and quickly regretted it. I could feel the goosebumps form over my bare arms when the harsh cold air made contact with my naked skin.

I was about walk onto the bridge in front of the entrance when I was stopped by a knight. He had his chain mail on so I assumed that he was guarding the entrance for the night. He had long brown hair that was just below his ears and looked like he was growing a beard.

"What have we got here? A bit late for a young woman like yourself to be leaving," he had an Irish accent and a smug look on his face.

I rolled my eyes and was about to continue forward when the knight stood in front of me and blocked my way. I huffed and politely asked him to move aside. He shook his head and didn't move from his place, though he did move his head to look at my cart.

"What have we got here?" he slowly made his way towards the cart.

I fidgeted nervously. Dead bodies in a cart was extremely suspicious and I doubted that he would accept the truth. As he drew closer to the cart, I could feel my heart pounding against my chest. Possible excuses ran through my mind be there was no way I could allow myself to be sent to prison. If my father found out, he would instantly wage war on Camelot without a second thought.

Before the knight was about to lift the sheet on my friends' bodies, he was stopped by a voice I had heard before.

"Gwaine, it's alright. She's a friend of mine. Let me talk to her."

I quickly looked up at where the voice was coming from. There he was, the one who kept my friends' death from me: Sir Leon. Rage quickly consumed me when I saw him. I no longer thought of him as the gentle and caring knight. If he cared about me, he would have told me about their deaths.

"You!" I shouted as I stomped furiously towards him.

He took a slight step backward before standing his ground. I noticed that he looked behind me and I turned to see that the other knight was about to step towards me just in case I did something to his colleague. I scowled at the other knight to move away but it did the complete opposite as it didn't assure him of Sir Leon's safety.

"No, Gwaine. It will be alright. Go back to your post," I heard Sir Leon say with confidence that I wouldn't harm him.

I turned back to face Sir Leon and glared. His face told me that he knew why I was upset.

"Let me help you," he said softly as he made his way to the front of the cart.

I blocked his way and prevented him from taking hold of the cart's handles.

"No," I said sternly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"For your own safety," his voice was so calm that it _almost _made me forget why I was furious with the handsome knight.

"My own safety? How would keeping such information keep me safe?!" I spat the words at him.

He sighed. "If you knew in that state you were in, do you think you would be able drag this cart to where ever you plan on burying them?"

"I'm stronger than you think," I growled.

He shook his head. "Not that night. You couldn't even stand. I apologize for keeping it from you but I didn't want you to end up in the same state as them."

He was right. I knew I didn't have the strength that night to walk. Merlin had to help me up the stairs to get to Gaius' chambers, but I couldn't admit defeat. I was way too stubborn to agree with Sir Leon.

"Did Gaius tell you that I knew about their deaths?" I asked, my tone was a lot more calmer.

"Yes, he grew worried when you suddenly ran out of his chambers. I guessed you would want to bury them. Most family members do when a massacre like this occurs." He said gesturing to the large pile of dead bodies.

Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply as my patience with Sir Leon was growing thin. All I wanted to do was to have a proper burial for Franklin and Colin and he was prolonging me from doing so.

"May I now pass? I can not allow my friends to rot any longer without a proper burial," opening my eyes as I said this.

With a woeful sigh, he moved to the side, indicating that I may finally pass. However, before he allowed me to move forward, he handed me a letter and a dark green cloak.

"It's going to get much colder so you should wear this. I was hoping that you would allow me to join you but it seems that you are strongly opposing that idea. This is a letter your friends wanted me to pass on to you before they passed away."

I watched him walk back towards the castle looking defeated as I wore the green cloak. It was extremely helpful against the cold wind. Though it looked like a thin piece of material, it was surprisingly warm. I lifted the hood on my head and made my way towards the forest, where I was to bury Franklin and Colin.

It took me the whole night to arrive at a beautiful lake that glistened from the rays coming from the sunrise. It wasn't the same as the lake near Friardor, the lake that I would always go to with my mother and father; and after my mother's death, with Franklin and Colin. A place where we would sit and talk about our hopes and dreams for the future, the future I wished could be with Franklin and Colin. Now that they were gone, the dream of that future had faded. If I decided to make my way to the lake near Friardor, it would have taken me more than three days and I didn't think that their bodies would survive another three days without being buried. I also ran the risk of being caught by my father's men who were probably in the area searching for me.

I found three small wooden dinghies tied to a wooden post and pulled two of them towards the shore to be decorated with flowers and sweet smelling berries. It took me sometime to find flowers that I thought were acceptable for my friends to lay in because I only wanted the best looking ones. Two hours later, I had finally finished decorating the dinghies and placed my friends' bodies in each one. I took two swords that I had hidden in the cart and laid one on each of their chests, moving their arms so it looked like they were holding the handle of the sword with both hands.

Before I pushed the dinghies into the lake, I whispered a short prayer for their spirits to enter the afterlife. I hesitated before I could mutter the words that would finish this small ceremony for the death of Frank and Colin. Knowing that it had to be done, I thought of the happy memories I had with them. Finally, I mustered up the courage to whisper the word, "Forbearnan." A fire erupted in the dinghies as they slowly moved away from land. I sighed as I finally accepted the fact that I was now alone in this rebellion.


	4. Chapter 4

The world around me had a different aura surrounding it. It was something I hadn't experienced for a very long time, since my mother's death to be precise. The once playful melodies that you would hear from the treetops were now replaced by the irritating screeches from birds. All I could see was the dead foliage on the ground and the withering flowers in the bushes. I had now entered that dark, ominous place. A place where only certain people could reach me and as Franklin and Colin were now deceased, it would be impossible for me to see the world in a better light.

I was about to drag the cart back to the citadel when I heard rustling in the nearby bushes. I quietly picked up my sword from the cart and held it in a defensive position in front of my body. Even though I was highly skilled with a blade, the attack a few days ago had weakened me significantly and my body was exhausted. Additionally, lethargy began to seep through my limbs from pulling the cart all night without any rest. I could feel my legs shaking from underneath me. It had been a while since I've been this anxious while holding a sword. The knowledge that there was no-one else around to protect me from any sudden attacks left me helpless.

The sounds of rustling drew closer and I was beginning to think that fleeing to a safer area would be best. Hiding up a tree maybe? I quickly searched for a nearby tree that would be high enough for me to hide in. There was one only a few metres away but my feet were unable to move. My nerves were far too great to swiftly make my way towards the tree. I sighed and accepted that I no longer had enough time to make my escape, I had to face whatever was behind those bushes head on.

Once I could sense that it was about to come out from the bushes, I lowered myself into a fighting position. I tried to slow my breathing to keep calm, allowing a large amount of air to enter my lungs as I inhaled. To stop my legs from shaking, I shifted my weight from one leg to another. A foot was in my vision and I tightly gripped my sword, preparing to lunge at them if they decided to attack me.

A stubby, bald male came out from behind the bushes followed by two skinnier and much taller men. The first man was wielding a dagger in his right hand as for the other two, they seemed to be unarmed. I swallowed and stood my ground as I glared, a silent warning them that they shouldn't come any closer.

The short male scoffed at the sight of me, "I knew someone would be around here but I didn't expect it to be a measly, little girl."

His lowly depiction of my strength caused me to huff in disgust. If only he knew what I was capable of, he wouldn't make such a judgement about me based on my stature. Before I could respond to his comment, I decided to take a step back and decided not to attack. Since he took me for a helpless child, I assumed that he and his colleagues would just pass by and not lay a finger on me. Only the lowest of people would think of hurting a helpless, innocent child.

"So what should we do with her?" One of the taller men asked the shorter man who I guessed to be their leader.

"Well, we can't go back without bearing any gifts," their leader replied with a slight smirk forming on his face. "I'm sure he could do with another servant girl."

I took another step back and tightly gripped my sword in front of me. They would have to fight me first. I wasn't going to allow them to become some person's servant girl. As a warning, I swung my sword in front of the leader as he took a step closer. Suddenly, the other two men each pulled a dagger from their belts. My breathing became laboured as they cautiously made their way towards me. For the first time in a very long time, I was fearful for my life. What would happen if I'm unable to fight them off? Who would I be a servant girl to? What I was more fearful of was what would happen if I was taken away to be a servant girl to someone else. My father would not be pleased, not pleased at all. My father was capable of anything. If he ever found me as a servant girl for someone else, knowing my father he would not hold back and punish everyone even if they were innocent. The thought of my father's ferocity caused me to stand my ground. I was determined not to allow these men to get their way.

"You're not going to take me without a fight." I growled preparing to lunge at the opponents in front of me.

My rage was beginning to build inside of me as I glared at the pathetic smirk that was still on their leader's face. The thought of a fight had not deterred him from getting what he wanted: me. I used it to my advantage, my rage only made me stronger as my fear was now overrun by my anger. I gritted my teeth as I slowly moved to the right as there was a huge tree a few feet away from me. I couldn't allow myself to be cornered against a tree.

Suddenly, the bald man whistled. I instantly stopped in my tracks. Fear took over my entire being again as I realised that there were more than three people in this group of men. I swallowed in distress as ten more men emerged from the bushes. There was absolutely no way I could defeat that many people on my own. With a bow it could be possible, but for me, with a sword there was just no way. All of these men were almost twice my size except for their leader who was only slightly taller than me. They were all extremely well built and the chances of a small woman defeating thirteen strong men was extremely small, maybe even impossible.

One of the men made his way towards me, this one had a sword in his hand. A smile played across his face. He looked at me as if I was a piece of meat which made me feel uneasy. I glanced over to the other men and noticed that they didn't seem to move from their place. Assuming that this man was to be my opponent, I stepped closer towards him with my sword in a defensive position in front of my body. Whether I liked it or not, this battle was about to commence.

He made the first move, swinging his sword at my torso. I jumped back, getting out of the way of the sharp blade, unfortunately the tip of his sword came in contact with my clothing. There was now a slit in my clothes showing my flesh and a slight injury that looked like a measly paper cut. Nothing too painful. The lack of sleep had taken it's toll on my agility and my reaction time was definitely not at it's best. Even though the injury was nothing, it had shaken me as it made me realise how much trouble I was now in. My apprehension to this battle hindered me from seeing my opponent's next move and before I knew it I was on the ground clutching at my right arm. My breathing was laboured as I resisted from crying out in pain. Reluctantly, I looked down at the wound to see that the sword had pierced through my skin and left a deep wound in my right arm. The blood was oozing out of the injured arm and made me feel faint, but I had to shake it off. I couldn't allow myself to be defeated by these men.

I saw him look down at me in a condescending manner and laughed darkly as he watched the blood trickle down from the wound. I knew he had assumed that I had admitted defeat. How wrong he was. It definitely was not the end. I used all my strength to push myself back up onto my feet and lift my sword up with my injured arm to continue to fight. As much as I pushed the thought away, I knew that there was absolutely no way that I would be the victor. The amount of blood leaving my body made my head spin. I could feel my body swaying as I tried to keep my balance. I could make out the laughter of the men in front of me and as much as it angered me that they had won, I couldn't do much about it. Giving into gravity, my knees gave way causing me to crash onto the dry leaves on the ground.

The sounds of the men's footsteps crunching on the leaves towards my body made me panic. My internal thoughts were filled with scenarios of what was going to happen to me. Thoughts of what I would have to do as a servant girl. A sudden surge of pain ran through my arm as I felt pressure on my injured arm. I squealed in pain, it was too excruciating for me to force my mouth shut and remain quiet. It was absolutely excruciating. It felt like a massive boulder was thrown onto my arm, shattering my bone into a million pieces. A choir of laughter came from the men as I pleaded for them to stop.

Suddenly, I could feel the ground shake from underneath me. The sounds of laughter stopped immediately and the weight on my arm was removed. I listened intently to my surroundings and smiled as I recognised the sounds of sprinting hooves on the forest floor. The men began to mutter amongst themselves, curious to the vibrating ground and the sound of rolling thunder that seemed to be coming towards us. Soon after, I heard a high pitched whinny and heavy breathing. I used the little strength that I had to turn my head to the side to take a look at what was happening.

As I thought, Eina and two other horses had come to my rescue. Eina stood on her hind legs and neighed roughly at the men surrounding me who all had pulled out their swords and daggers. The three horses weaved around the men as they began attacking the horses. Eina was swift on her feet weaving between the men and pushing them over ever so gracefully. Her movements were just as fluid and elegant as I remembered it to be three months ago when I had to leave her with Colin and Franklin's horses in the forest.

I assumed that the group of men knew that they couldn't defeat the horses and fled into the bushes. Sighing with relief, I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of the rustling leaves of the trees. A huff in my ear caused my eyes to shoot open to the sight of Eina's head only a few centimetres from my face. I smiled at her and slightly lifted my head to kiss the tip of her nose. She neighed happily and then bowed her head near my arm to indicate to me that she wanted to help me up. I noticed that the saddle was still on her back, I was glad to see my bow and arrows still attached. They would definitely come in handy if the men decided to come back for me.

I grabbed hold of her mane with my left arm and pulled myself up as she lifted her head simultaneously. As I had already lost a lot of blood, I had to hold onto Eina quite tightly to keep my balance. She had to hold on to the back of my dress with her mouth to keep me steady as I pulled at the bottom of my dress for a strip of material to wrap around my wound to stop the bleeding.

Before I could wrap the wound, I needed to wash it to prevent any infections occurring, so Eina kneeled on the ground to pull myself onto her back so we could head to the lake. The wound stung when I submerged my arm into the water but soon gave a soothing sensation. I really hoped that I would have enough energy to heal myself with magic, but there was just too much blood loss. It took some time before I decided that I had enough energy to climb up a tree for safety. The first thing I desperately needed was some rest before heading back to Camelot, even if I went by horseback.

With aid from my trusted horse, I made my way to a nearby oak tree. My heart began to break as I passed the other two horses, the now masterless horses who once belonged to Franklin and Colin. Now that the knights they used to serve were deceased, there wasn't much use for them to stay. I made my decision to release them into the forest, hoping that two great knights would find them and take great care of them like Franklin and Colin did. Looking at the two horses brought back the blissful yet upsetting memories of Franklin and Colin which made my decision both easier and harder. Letting the horses go felt like I was trying to remove any memories of the two knights, but it also helped me move on. By releasing them from their previous ownership, I didn't have to be reminded that my friends had past away.

As I watched the two horses gallop away, I wiped a tear that had rolled down my cheek. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and slowly made my way to the tree while holding on to Eina's saddle. I knew that I only had enough energy to pull myself up the tree to sit up at the lowest branch of the tree which was still 3 metres above the forest floor. Eina neighed worriedly beside me as I took my bow and arrows from her saddle and held them in my right hand. I prepared myself for what I thought looked like a simple enough task. However, simple was not the right word to describe it, especially when I only had one arm to pull myself up. I definitely underestimated climbing a tree with only one arm. The pain of the bark pushing into my left hand, as I used it to pull my weight up, was excruciatingly painful but it was bearable when comparing it to how painful the wound was in my right arm. It took me some time, but I eventually made it to the branch. Puffing, I laid my head back onto the tree trunk and finally felt that I was safe.

The sounds of muttering and crunching leaves awoke me from my slumber. I carefully adjusted my seating position so I was sitting upright allowing me to scan my surroundings. The men must have come back for me as I suspected. I readied my bow and arrow just in case they decided to take violent actions against me or Eina, who was resting behind the tree.

The first person to come into my line of vision wasn't someone I had seen before. Unless the group of men had recruited new members, I assumed that this man wasn't a part of the vicious men I had come across earlier. This man was of an average height with golden blonde hair and looked much cleaner and more approachable even though there was a slight ferocity in the way he looked at his surroundings.

"Merlin!" The young male turned around and yelled towards the direction that he had come from. He didn't look very pleased.

A smile appeared on my face as I realised that the person I was looking at must be Merlin's master, the King of Camelot, Arthur Pendragon. Stumbling out of the bushes came an exhausted Merlin who looked to be carrying several rabbits in his arms. I quietly chuckled to myself as I felt sorry Merlin. The things his master must have put him through mustn't have been easy. I relaxed the grip on my bow and arrow and laid them on my lap as I watched Arthur and Merlin quarrel amongst themselves.

"By the rate you're going we won't be back in Camelot until tomorrow morning." Arthur argued as he turned around to continue walking into the forest.

"These rabbits aren't light you know! Maybe you should try carrying them." Merlin scowled as he dropped the rabbits on the ground to give his arms a rest.

Arthur turned back around to glare at Merlin. I was surprised at Merlin's ability to tolerate Arthur's abuse if he gets treated like this every now and then. If I was in his position, I would have tried to get out of being Arthur's servant as soon as possible. I suppose that was what I admired about Merlin, his capacity to continue his loyalty to the King after all he's been through.

"Sire, I think we should rest here. We have been hunting for some time now. The other knights are getting restless from hunger."

My blood began to boil when I recognised the voice. Leon emerged from the bushes followed by Gwaine, the knight I encountered last night, and two other knights I had not come across before. One was enormous. He had extremely short hair and massively broad shoulders. Someone I definitely wouldn't want to mess with when it came to battle. The other knight was darker in complexion. He was slightly shorter than Leon, possibly the same height as the young King and had black hair that was of a similar style to the massive knight.

The King sighed and looked at his knights to see that Leon was right, they looked exhausted. Merlin collected some firewood and created a fire to cook two of the rabbits for the knights to eat. I didn't believe that two would be enough to feed four hungry knights, a King and himself but it seemed that Merlin was able to make a plenty of food with what he had. The smell of the rabbit stew was mouthwatering. I hadn't eaten since the night before and it was almost midday.

You could hear the laughter and chattering from the knights below, a noisy bunch they were. I kept a watchful eye on Merlin because after seeing how Arthur treated him I had a sense of protectiveness wash over me. He was cleaning the dishes when Arthur approached him. He didn't act like his master though, more like a friend would as his tone was filled with concern.

"Alright, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Merlin replied without looking away from the dishes.

"You've got that distant look about you today. What is it?" Arthur knelt down next to Merlin and didn't seem like he was going to be leave the matter alone.

"Really, I'm fine. I was just exhausted from all the hunting, that's all." Merlin said, which I could clearly tell was a lie and by the looks of it, Arthur could tell as well.

"Merlin," Arthur sighed. "Just tell me. I'm...You've got me worried." Arthur seemed genuinely concerned even though he seemed to have trouble expressing it.

Merlin finally gave in, knowing that Arthur would not stop pestering him until he gave him the truth. "A friend of mine didn't come home last night. I'm just hoping she's safe."

I paused as I realised that he was talking about me. Were Merlin and Gaius really worried about me last night? The fact that my absence last night caused Merlin to be in such a state that got the King worried about him made me feel a little warm inside. Gaius, I understand his concern as I am the daughter of his close friend whom he saved many years ago, but Merlin. Merlin, I had only met a few days ago and barely spoke to him other than the day that we met. _Friend of mine._Did he really see me as a friend already?

"We will find her. I will help you find her, Merlin." Arthur consoled Merlin and patted his shoulder.

Merlin gave him a slight smile and continued with his chores. I smiled too as it came across to me that Merlin and Arthur's relationship wasn't as terrible as I first assumed. Their relationship gave the impression that they were more like brothers than master and servant. Arthur was clearly the older brother who sometimes gave the younger brother a hard time, but they still cared for each other.

Arthur and Merlin's conversation was interrupted when Gwaine ran towards them, informing them that they were not alone in the forest. Slowly, the men who attacked me emerged from the surrounding bushes. I, quickly but quietly, held my bow and an arrow in my hands, preparing myself if the fight became too much for the knights of Camelot. Arthur and Merlin quickly got up and the knights pulled their swords from their sheaths ready to defend themselves if the group of men decided to attack. There looked to be a larger amount of men than before. Forty men against six, it seemed and I was slightly worried for the safety of the knights, the King and Merlin.

"Looks like we've hit the jackpot boys," the leader exclaimed with a smug look on his face. "We come back looking for that girl to find a King and his knights instead. Oh, the master would be very pleased with this, very pleased indeed."

His men laughed and prepared their weapons for battle. The men moved to each side to create a barrier around the knights and have them surrounded. This was not looking good for the King and his knights. One of the men moved closer to Arthur but Arthur raised his hand to stop him and was about to speak before Leon interrupted him.

"You spoke of a girl, what did she look like?" He swallowed after he asked, his body was rigid and his face was slightly paler in colour.

"She was small with long, brown, wavy hair wearing a green cloak." The leader informed Leon of my description.

"What did you do to her?" Leon's voice was deep and fierce as he tightly held the handle of his sword that was still in its sheath.

The leader smirked at Leon's angry tone and began to tell him of our encounter. From his plan to make me a servant girl to his master to the injury in my right arm that one of his men inflicted on me. Leon's jaw stiffened as he listened to the leader's explanation of events. His rage seemed to grow and it looked like he was going to bolt towards the leader and attack him at any second.

"You killed her?" I heard a weak voice whisper.

I turned to look at Merlin who looked devastated at what he had just heard. Arthur also looked at him with sadness in his eyes. They all seemed to have concluded that the men had murdered me before hearing the end of the series of events. Arthur turned back to the leader and glared at him.

"So did you?" He said gravely.

The leader's face dropped in disappointment. "No, a bunch of horses came and attacked us. Though, maybe they trampled all over her and killed her. Who knows?"

All this information grew to be too much for Leon and he lunged at the leader but his attack was blocked by one of the other men. Arthur called out to Leon for him to stop but his fury was far too great. He fought off the man, piercing the man's stomach with his blade and killing him. The leader laughed sadistically before ordering his men to attack. With that, the battle between the two groups of men began.

I tried to watch over all of the knights making sure that I was ready to attack with my bow and arrow if any of the knights were in trouble. Out of all of them, my eyes were most drawn to Merlin and Leon. I accepted my protectiveness of Merlin but it frustrated me how my eyes constantly darted in Leon's direction. Why was I so fascinated by him? He's nothing special. Just like any other knight and yet every part of my being tingled at the very sight of him.

I gripped my bow tightly and released the arrow which flew into the back of the neck of one of the men. Three thugs had surrounded Leon. The man I had just killed had left a slight gash on Leon's left cheek. As Leon was about to look up at my direction, the other two cried loudly before charging at him. Leon easily defended himself and moved on to help Arthur with the group of men that had surrounded him.

I searched for Merlin who was hiding behind a tree. I sighed, glad that he decided to take cover as the knights fought off the men. Suddenly, I noticed his eyes turn yellow in colour, but only for a brief moment. _Crash! _I quickly turned back to the battle and noticed a large branch had fallen onto some of the men. A smirk formed on my lips as I knew exactly what had happened. Merlin was hiding for a reason: to use magic.

Surprised by the sudden branch falling and saving them, the knights looked up at the tree it had fallen from. They must've thought that it was by pure luck that it had happened. The final three men standing took this chance to flee into the bushes to safety.

The knights patted each other on the back, happy that they had defeated those men. Arthur called out for Merlin as he realised that he wasn't amongst them. His face grew with concern for his man servant until he found Merlin laying behind a tree. Arthur looked at him displeasingly and pulled Merlin up on his feet.

"You would think I would be used to you cowering behind a tree, Merlin."

As the knights walked towards Merlin and Arthur, I noticed rustling in the bushes behind them. The leader of the thugs swiftly emerged from the bush ready to attack Arthur. He was much too fast for the knights to react, but luckily my hands were quick enough to shoot an arrow into the side of his neck, killing him instantly. Stunned, the knights and Merlin took some time to process what had happened before Arthur turned to my direction.

The leaves of the tree must have hidden me from his view as he slowly approached the tree before sternly asking, "Who's there?"

The knights and Merlin followed behind Arthur and stopped once they were almost at the foot of the large tree.

"We know you're up there. Show yourself."

Arthur placed his hand on the handle of his sheathed sword preparing to defend himself. I thought it was about time I made my appearance and leapt onto the forest floor below me. Holding my injured arm, I gracefully landed on the ground and looked up at the knights in front of me.

"My Lord," I said and respectfully bowed in front of him, still holding my arm.

Before Arthur could respond, Merlin let out a sound of disbelief and embraced me tightly. I could feel his cheek on my own and could tell that he was smiling. As my arm was stuck under his chest, I couldn't hug him back but I voiced my excitement to see him again.

"I'm glad to see you too, Merlin."

As Merlin released me, I glanced over at the knights and notice the range of facial expressions they had. It was mostly the expression of confusion, but there were also expressions of happiness and relief. Relief came from Leon. After seeing his reaction to the leader's description of our encounter, I wasn't surprised.

"So this is her, Merlin?" I quickly turned to my right and realised that Arthur had stood himself beside us.

Merlin nodded and introduced me to the King with a smile still radiating off his face. Arthur looked down at my injured arm. Blood was beginning to seep through the cloth I had wrapped around the injury. I must have opened the wound again, either by jumping down from the high branch or during the battle while using my bow and arrow.

"You're injured," Arthur pointed out. "We must get you back to Camelot and let Gauis take a look at it."

As the knights were about to make their way back to Camelot, I stopped them and called Eina who immediately trotted to my side. I quickly mounted my horse and we made our way to Camelot where our journey was filled with the non-stop ramblings of Gwaine. The others must have been used to ignoring what ever Gwaine had to say, but I felt rude not to at least sound like I was somewhat interested. From time to time I would nod or pretend to sound out my interest with an "Ah" or "Is that so?"

Once we arrived, I was immediately taken to Gauis who tended to my wound. He assured me that the wound was not yet infected and it would heal in a matter of days which I was pleased to hear. I didn't want to feel weak and defenceless for a long period of time. He also took this time to ask why I was living in Camelot. From his tone I could hint that he wasn't pleased by my presence and I could understand why. Camelot was a dangerous place for anyone who used magic and for a princess of a kingdom with magic to enter a place like Camelot, a war would arise between the two kingdoms. I sheepishly explained the situation in Friardor that forced me to rebel against my father.

"My father is much like your former King, Uther. He's been killing those who oppose the use of magic in our Kingdom. It's only fuelling the fire that rages in the hearts of our people. I'm afraid that they will soon try to overrun my father."

"Have you tried to explain this to him?" Gauis asked softly.

"I've tried many times, Gauis. He is immensely stubborn. He will never listen to me. If only my mother," I choked at the thought of my mother but forced myself to continue. "If only my mother was still here, he would listen to her every word. I'm just hoping that leaving Friardor unannounced would stop all this senseless slaughtering."

"Well, for your sake and the people of Friardor, let's hope that your plan has worked."

Gauis had finished wrapping my wound with clean bandages and walked to his shelf to put away his equipment.

"So when do you plan to go back?" He asked as he turned to face me.

I knew he wanted me to leave as soon as possible but I felt more secure in Camelot than Friardor at this moment. If I went back now, my father could always continue killing those who opposed magic and the deaths of Franklin and Colin would have just be in vain. I replied with the most reasonable response I could tell him at the moment.

"I'll leave once my injury has healed. I want to make sure I'm able to defend myself on the journey back."

_Knock, Knock._Gauis and I looked at the wooden door open to reveal Leon standing at the entrance. "The King asks for your presence, Jasmine." Unsure whether I heard correctly, I pointed to myself to confirm whether Leon was asking for the right person. Leon nodded. I turned to Gauis thinking that he may know why the King had called for me but his expression showed that he was just as confused.

Leon led me through the castle hallways towards one of the large hall rooms. We walked in silence but I could sense that he wanted to speak. After some time, I couldn't ignore it anymore and stopped him from walking any further.

"If you have something to say, just say it." Irritation clearly evident in my voice.

"You're still upset with me." His tone was calm as he turned to face me.

"No," I said softly. I rubbed the back of my neck as I knew that I owed him an apology for the way I treated him the night before.

"You were grieving," he said as I began to apologize. "I understand that so there's no need for you to apologize. I should be the one to say sorry for not telling you earlier. You should have known about your friends' deaths."

I swallowed my pride and accepted that he made the right decision not to tell me. "I was too weak that day. My body wouldn't have coped with the knowledge of their deaths. You were right not to tell me." He smiled now knowing that I was no longer angered by his decisions.

"Well, we don't want to keep the King waiting any longer." I began to walk down the hallway.

We entered a large room where the King and Queen were seated at a wooden table. Merlin was there too. He was setting a platter of fruit onto the table as I entered the room. When he caught my eye, he smiled and informed Arthur of my presence. Both the King and Queen looked up at me and I bowed respectfully acknowledging them.

"Ah, Jasmine, it's nice to see that Gauis was able to tend to your wound," Arthur said as he popped a grape into his mouth. "I'm sure you're wondering why I have called you here."

"Yes, my Lord," I said with a slight nod.

"I must thank-you for saving me in the forest."

"It was nothing, my Lord," I replied modestly.

"Nonsense! If it wasn't for you, Camelot would no longer have a King. So to show our gratitude, I offer you a place in the castle as the Queen's servant."

My jaw dropped and my eyes widened trying to comprehend what I had just heard. It took me some time to process but once it clicked all I could say was, "My Lord?"

"It's settled. You are to be Guinevere's servant," Arthur exclaimed as he held Guinevere's hand.

I was still in shock. Now as the Queen's servant, it was harder to be inconspicuous in Camelot and the chances of being recognised was much greater. I was now hoping that my father would not find out about this or the fate of the two Kingdoms' would end in disaster.


	5. Chapter 5

_Neigh!_

Eina greeted me as I entered the stable. The sun shone through the gaps in the stable walls and a slight summer breeze would come in from time to time. It had been three weeks since I had been appointed to be the Queen's servant. Every morning before I would bring breakfast up to the Queen's chambers I would visit Eina to feed and groom her. There was a stable boy in Camelot who would take care of all the horses including Eina, but after leaving Eina in the forest for a month to fend for herself, I felt obligated to keep her company even if it was for only a little while.

After hearing that I was to be the Queen's servant, Gauis was not pleased at all. I understood why he would have his concerns, but I assured him that my identity would not be discovered. All I had to do was lay low and accept all orders that were given to me by the King or Queen without any complaints. After seeing that I was capable of concealing my identity, Gauis was slowly becoming more confident and had allowed me to have more freedom. Initially he was still apprehensive about the situation, hence why he had Merlin assigned to watch over me much like an eagle. This wasn't difficult for Merlin since he had to show me around the castle anyway; and most of the time Merlin and I would be working together as Gwen and Arthur would spend a lot of time with each other. The only time I would have time away from Merlin would be when I did chores around the castle or I had time off to do what ever I please.

I was treated very well by those in the castle. After announcing that I was to be the Queen's maid servant, the King informed me that I would be residing in Gwen's old house. I was extremely shocked and grateful for their kindness. Not only had they given me a job within their household but also my very own house. When I informed Merlin and Gauis, I had a feeling that Merlin was slightly pleased that he would have his room back. I wouldn't blame him, his own bed was much more comfortable than the bed he had to sleep in while I was occupying his room.

Guinevere treated me with respect and dignity. It felt like she was my friend more than the Queen. I assumed it was because of her background being a servant herself before she had taken up the role as Queen when marrying King Arthur. Inside the castle walls, there was the feeling of a family unity between each person. No-one seemed to be looked down upon and everyone was seen as an equal. Back in Friardor, I saw my father's loyal knights as brothers and they treated me as a younger sister. Surprisingly, the same goes for a few of King Arthur's loyal knights. Even though I had only served the King and Queen for a few weeks, the knights have warmed up to me as I have with them.

"I thought you would be here."

I turned away from Eina and saw Merlin standing in the stable's entrance. He was carrying a pail of fresh water which he placed on the ground as he walked towards me and sat on a stack of hay.

"Am I late? Did Gwen send for me?" I asked frantically and was about the leave the stables when Merlin stopped me.

"Gauis?" I was beginning to question why Merlin had come to find me. Merlin shook his head. "Then why are you here?"

"You haven't been yourself lately. Something's been troubling you, I can sense it."

His eyes were filled with nothing but concern. I've never been comfortable to tell people how I felt. I've always been stubborn and try to avoid these types of conversations, so I responded by squinting at him, pretending not to know what he was referring to. Merlin slouched his shoulders looking unimpressed.

"You know what I'm talking about. You wouldn't be in the stable if you didn't have something on your mind. I know you well enough to know that."

I sighed and gave in. "Has he talked to you?"

Merlin nodded. "He's been questioning your whereabouts. Actually, he's looking for you as we speak."

My eyes widened and I began to panic. "You haven't told him that I would be here, have you?"

Merlin gave me a slight smile and shook his head, "No, this is another of our little secrets." I sighed in relief and thanked him.

We were both talking about Leon. In the first two weeks of my role as the Queen's servant, my relationship with Leon had been evolving rapidly. Whenever we passed each other in the castle hallways, we would stop to talk about anything. Sometimes we would get carried away and either the other knights or Merlin would have to intercept our conversations to remind us of our duties.

There have been many nights where I would have to work late into the night to finish all my duties for the Queen. When Leon found me walking home on one of those nights, he was worried for my safety and offered to accompany me home as he had just finished his his late night patrol. Ever since that night, he would escort me home whenever he had the chance, even if the sun was still out.

I didn't think much of his actions. I suppose it was because I was blinded by my own feelings towards Leon that I didn't realise how fast our relationship was moving. It was only when Guinevere hinted it to me about a week ago.

*Flashback*

It was early in the morning when the sun had just risen. I made my way to the kitchen to prepare the Queen's breakfast after my usual visit to the stable to check up on Eina. The kitchen was crowded with people which made it difficult for me to move around to prepare the Queen's breakfast. The chef and other kitchen hands were preparing themselves for the huge feast that was occurring later on in the evening. Even though it was extremely early to start cooking for the feast, many preparations needed to be in order, such as gathering the supplies and ingredients from the market place.

When I finally brought Guinevere's food to her chambers, she was already awake and was sitting at her dresser brushing her hair. I apologized for arriving late, expecting her to give me a lecture about being punctual, but she just smiled and indicated for me to place her breakfast on the table. Every time I would expect her to be upset whenever I did something wrong, she would always be ever so gentle and forgiving. I guessed it was because she had experienced living the life of a servant before she had become the Queen of Camelot. She understood what it was like being a servant. I admired the amount of patience and tolerance she had with everyone who worked in the castle. I had voiced out my admiration after being late for the third time after working for her for only three days. She just laughed and said, "You have to be if you're married to a someone like Arthur." The more I worked with Gwen, the more I admired her. She was strong and intelligent, but was also caring and gentle. A Queen that I hoped to become.

As I passed her bedroom window to get to the table, I could hear the knights talking amongst themselves in the courtyard. They were preparing their horses for their morning patrol. I was about to place the plate of food on the table when my ears pricked up at the sound of Leon's voice. I smiled instantly and walked back to the window to see Leon complaining. Leon and two other knights, Percival and Elyan, were all adjusting the saddles of their horses as, guessing from Leon's reaction, Gwaine had loosened all the horse's saddles. I chuckled as I watched the knights entertainingly quarrel amongst themselves.

Leon sighed, perhaps he was tired of arguing about Gwaine's immaturity. Before he was about to mount his horse, Leon glanced over to the Queen's bedroom window and noticed me watching them. A smile instantly appeared on his face once he saw me. I gave him a slight wave but before he could do the same. I could hear the other three knights teasing Leon causing him to mount his horse instead of waving back.

This wasn't the first time they gave Leon grief for the way he acted around me. Ever since they noticed how fast our relationship was growing, they would always give a sly comment whenever they were around Leon and I. Leon would always get quite irritated, especially with Gwaine, but I would either ignore them or reply with a smart remark.

Leon was the last to leave the courtyard. He waited until all of the knights had left to take one last glance at the window and mouthed an apology. I mouthed back "it's alright" to assure him that the knights' reaction didn't bother me. I saw it more of a way to get to know the knights better. The closer Leon and I became, the more I would see the other knights.

At first I was a little uneasy being around the other knights, especially Percival. He was twice my size and could definitely shatter every single one of my bones if he wanted to. I would always hide behind Leon whenever Percival was around even though Percival was larger than Leon. Percival knew I was afraid of him, it was only recently that I realised that he wasn't as terrifying as I made him out to be.

I had bumped into him on my way to the Queen's chambers. I couldn't look him in the eyes when I greeted him. That was when he asked me, "Why are you so afraid of me, Jasmine?" I shouldn't have been surprised by his question. I wasn't exactly subtle with the way I acted around him and yet I was. I told him my petty reason and surprisingly he wasn't offended or upset like I assumed he would be. Percival just laughed and reassured me that he wouldn't dare to harm me as he would have Leon to deal with. After that day, I realised that Percival was just a lovable giant.

Once Leon rode off to catch up to the others, I took a deep breath and carried on with my duties by placing Guinevere's breakfast on the table. Gwen emerged from behind a screen, where she would get dressed, in a beautiful, green gown.

"Seems like you and Leon have been getting along rather well lately," Gwen commented as she sat down at the table.

"He has been very kind, my Lady." I replied politely as I revealed what she had for breakfast. Noticing that the bed was still unmade, I made myself busy as Gwen was eating.

"To be honest, I've never seen Leon act this way about someone before. He's really taken a liking to you."

My face began to burn and I could tell that I must've gone bright red. I tried to hide my face from Gwen by turning away from her direction. "Oh, I-I'm sure that's not true," I stuttered. She giggled as she knew I was getting flustered by her comment.

When I had finished making the bed, Gwen motioned for me to sit next to her. I did so obediently and instantly regretted it when I realised what she was going to talk about.

"You seem to be feeling a lot better now than when you first started working in the castle."

"My Lady?" I was quite confused as to what she was trying to point out to me.

"Leon had told me that you were in one of the outlying villages that were savagely attacked and that you had lost two of your friends in the process." I could sense a slight sadness in her voice as she explained.

"Oh," was all I could muster out of my mouth as a response. A wash of sorrow came over me as thoughts of Frank and Colin entered my mind. To my surprise, I hadn't thought about them for awhile, ever since Leon escorted me home for the second time to be exact. It frightened me how I seemed to have easily forgotten about them ever since Leon and I got closer.

"Luckily, Leon seems to have helped you through it during the past week," Gwen said cheerfully.

"Yes, I suppose he has," I said a little dazed, still thinking about how quickly I had forgotten of my friends' deaths just because of Leon. "Excuse me, my Lady."

I took the empty plate from the table and made my way back to the kitchen. My movements were slow as my thoughts wandered back to the adventures I had with Franklin and Colin. For the whole day I was in my own world. My actions were slow, almost at a snail's pace. At the feast, Gwen confronted me as she was worried that she had upset me in some way, but I reassured her that she had done nothing wrong. I passed it off as an illness, which she believed, and told me to take the night off.

Late in the evening, after the feast, Leon had come to visit me possibly to see how I was feeling. He had knocked on the door for sometime but gave up, I assumed that he thought I was fast asleep. I wasn't. I just didn't want to face him. It seemed that every time I was around him, I would forget the important things in my life: Franklin, Colin, Friardor, my father, the rebellion. My thoughts would only revolve around the thoughts of him which frustrated me. That was when I knew, Leon was a distraction. As much as my feelings would object, I decided that I had no choice but to stay away from Leon and leave Camelot as soon as possible.

*End Flashback*

Merlin stood up to stroke Eina's mane as he said, "You can't keep avoiding him, Jasmine. He will find a way to talk to you."

"If I'm not here anymore, then he won't be able to find me," I said with a smug look on my face.

Merlin paused and his facial expression changed to confusion. Before he could ask, I sighed and started to explain, "I'm going to send Eina to Friardor next week. She'll check on my father and the state of the Kingdom."

He still didn't seem to understand what I meant, so I reiterated it so it would be more easier for him to understand. "I'm going back to Friardor once Eina comes back. Then you and Gauis won't have to put up with me anymore."

I chuckled to lighten the mood but Merlin looked upset at the news. I walked up to him and embraced him tightly.

"I'm not leaving just yet so don't look so upset, Merlin. Come now, I'm sure the King and Queen are looking for us."

The day felt long as I was constantly on edge hoping not to see Leon since Merlin had informed me that Leon was hunting me out. Whenever I would pass Merlin in the corridors, I would ask for an update on Leon. His whereabouts, the duties he had planned for the day, the chances of him being in a certain room as me. Luckily, I had survived the whole day without bumping into Leon. Untying my hair, I turned into another long corridor radiating at my successful attempt of avoiding Leon once again. I allowed my long, brown, wavy hair fall down to the middle of my back and was about to sneak into the kitchen for a cheeky snack when I heard his soothingly beautiful voice.

"Jasmine? Jasmine, wait!"

My eyes widened and I quickly made my way down the corridor pretending that I didn't hear Leon calling for me. I could hear his footsteps, along with my own, on the stone floor alongside the footsteps of another. He continued to call for me but I didn't stop. Instead, I turned the corner into another hallway before turning once more into a corner to hide myself. After a few seconds, I heard them turn into the hallway and stop when they noticed that I had vanished.

"Maybe she didn't hear you," I heard Gwaine say to Leon.

Leon exhaled before responding, "No, I'm sure she heard me. I wonder what I've done."

"_Nothing. You've done nothing."_I thought to myself as I closed my eyes. It hurt me to know that he thought that it was something that he'd done to make me act this way. As much as I wanted to come out to reveal myself, I knew that this was the best way to save him from anymore pain he would have to deal with when I do leave for Friardor.

Gwaine reassured him that everything will get better and they continued on their way. I took a deep breath and once I was sure that it was safe, I quickly made my way home. I took the small passageways to make sure I wouldn't bump into Leon again.

I was just metres away from my house when I accidentally bumped into Percival. "_Just my luck_," I thought to myself as the 1.96m friendly giant stood in front of me. My heart was beating extra fast as I grew anxious. I took a deep breath to try and calm my nerves and cheerily greeted him. He gave me a slight smile before his face turned to concern.

"I don't mean to speak out of place but why are you hiding from Leon, Jasmine?"

"I'm sorry. I don't know what you're talking about," I replied innocently.

"I saw you hiding when Leon was looking for you."

My eyes widened as I realised. "You were following me all this time?"

"I had to. You were acting suspiciously." His tone became more serious as he furrowed his brow. "I had to make sure you weren't committing treason."

I understood why he would assume such a thing as I had been taking the back passageways to get home. I sighed. The only way for me to get out of this situation was to tell him the truth or at least enough of the truth. I began to explain my predicament regarding Leon.

"I just need some time alone. My friends had recently passed away and I haven't had the space to be alone since their deaths."

"That doesn't explain why you've been hiding from Leon. He really cares for you, Jasmine. I'm sure he would understand. You don't have to keep it from him. He's really worried about you." Percival's eyes softened. I knew he was doing this for Leon so he wouldn't get hurt. I never wanted to hurt Leon but to face him, I knew that he would ask questions if I confronted him.

"Percival, please allow me this one favour of you. Can you tell him what I've told you? I don't think I can face him at the moment. Please understand," I begged.

Percival sighed and nodded. I smiled and thanked him before he made his way back to the castle to resume his duties. The smile immediately left my face once he was out of sight. I closed my eyes for a brief moment to compose myself before making my way home. As much as my heart disagreed, I knew was making the right choice. The sooner I could send Eina to Friardor, the sooner I could leave Camelot and forget about Leon.


	6. Chapter 6

"_Do something for yourself. Follow your heart and be happy."_

I jolted from my slumber and sat upright in my bed. A cold sweat had covered me, from head to toe. Taking a deep breath, I tried to compose myself. I was slightly blinded as the first few rays of the sun were seeping through the cracks in the wooden door. Outside, I could hear the birds singing their morning tunes and a few townspeople preparing their stalls in the marketplace. I knew I still had time to visit Eina in the stables before starting my morning duties but the dream last night hindered me from getting out of bed.

This wasn't the first time I had dreamt of my mother. Ever since Franklin and Colin's death, it seemed like my mother would constantly visit me through my dreams. However, I didn't think of it as visitations, only dreams, until recently when my conversations with my mother would always revolve around Leon. I would always wake up in the same way after the same two sentences. It's as if my mother was trying to send me a message.

With a hard shake of my head, I tried to remove the thoughts of last night's dream from my mind. As much I wanted to do as my mother told me in the dream, the timing just didn't feel right. To abandon my duties to Friardor as a protector of it's people just because I had fallen for a knight of Camelot was too irresponsible, especially as I was to become it's future Queen. I wouldn't want my people to think that I had abandoned them because of Leon. If I did choose to follow my heart, I knew I would have many difficulties to face. Firstly, my father would not allow me to marry someone who is not a prince. Ever since I was born, he would talk of an alliance with one of the neighbouring Kingdoms through a marriage between myself and one of the princes. Secondly, if I were to follow my heart, Leon would end up finding out my true identity. Not only that I am a Princess but that I am also a sorcerer. It would only cause confusion in his mind. I wouldn't be surprised if he chose to tell the King once he knew of my true identity. His loyalty to the King is indescribable.

When I finally decided to get out of bed, I thought I would pass through the market place. Back in Friardor, talking to the townspeople was a useful way to clear my head. Not only did helping Friardor's citizens distract me from the troubles I had, but it also helped me build a rapport with the people. As the future Queen of Friardor, I thought it would be important for me to get along with my people and allow them to gradually build their trust in me as they did with my mother when she married my father.

I changed into a pale blue dress and grabbed my basket before heading out of the door. The market place was bustling with hordes of people. It felt rude for me to push past people but it was the only way to get from one place to another. As I made my way through the busy walkway, I greeted people I had seen around the village. I decided to buy some supplies to cook breakfast before heading to the castle to start my morning duties.

On my way home, I saw the King's loyal knights walk through the market place. As they weren't wearing their chain mail at the time, I assumed that they had the morning off. I quickened my pace hoping that they wouldn't be able to catch up to me. I didn't want to have an awkward encounter with Leon so early in the morning. As much as I hoped and prayed that the knights wouldn't notice me, I felt a hand pat my shoulder. Reluctantly, I turned around to see Gwaine's cheery face smiling at me.

"Looks like someone's ready to make some breakfast." His eyes glimmered, hoping that I would make enough food to feed him as well.

I smirked. "Yes, but not for you."

Percival and Elyan chuckled behind him. Leon pushed himself through between Percival and Elyan to stand next to Gwaine. His face was serious which matched his tone.

"We have early morning training to attend to, Gwaine. We have no time for your childish endeavours."

He quickly glanced over at me before making his way towards the castle. I stared in bewilderment as he moved further away. What was that look he gave me? When I finally came to my senses, I instantly turned to Percival who gave me a slight nod and that's when I knew. Percival had told Leon about my predicament. I began to worry. Why was Leon acting like that? I would have thought he would be more understanding. Gwaine and Elyan looked at me in confusion. I shrugged my shoulders to indicate that I was just as confused as they were.

"I'm sure what ever it is, he'll get over it," Gwaine reassured me. "Now, about breakfast."

I knew Gwaine was trying to lighten up the mood but I couldn't stop thinking about Leon. I still couldn't grasp why he was acting so cold towards me. I've always known Leon to be gentle and understanding but for him to act like this, there must have been something else I had done.

Gwaine saw that I wasn't up for his humour and decided that it was about time that they went to the armoury to prepare for their morning's training. Before he left, he looked over at me with his kind eyes. "I'm sure he's just having a bad day." Gwaine came in closer and hugged me but as my mind was still filled with questions, I didn't bother returning the embrace. Instead, I just stood there, emotionless.

Before Percival joined the other knights, he walked me back to my house. He sat me down at my dining table as I was still dazed. When he finally found my cups in one of my cupboards, he gave me a cup of water before he sat down across from me. Like the gentleman that he was, he gave me some time to compose myself before engaging in conversation about what had happened earlier on.

"Are you alright?" He asked cautiously as I had finished the cup of water and placed it on the table.

I slowly nodded unconvincingly.

"I don't know why he acted that way. He wasn't upset when I told him. I'm sure he probably has other things on his mind," Percival tried to comfort me but it gave me no relief. I was still worried about Leon. I had an inkling that he didn't believe what Percival had told him.

Percival didn't leave my house until he was certain that I was going to be alright. I tried to convince him earlier on that Leon's reaction didn't affect me but I guessed that my actions weren't convincing enough. My movements were slow and from time to time I would realize that I had been gazing into the distance for long periods of time. Right after he left, I got myself ready for a long day of duties.

The day definitely felt long as everything I did felt laborious. My mind was elsewhere and Gwen noticed this instantly. She offered for me to take the day off but I refused. If I didn't keep myself busy, I would end up wallowing in bed constantly thinking about Leon.

The day grew worse every time I would pass Leon in the hallways. He would walk past me pretending that I wasn't there. He didn't even glance over at me. His eyes would look straight in front of him as if he was an eagle eying it's prey. I've never felt so small. I didn't think it would hurt this much to be ignored by Leon. To think that I wanted something like this to happen to protect myself from getting caught. It was agonizing to think that this was how he felt when I would ignore or hide from him during the past couple of weeks.

The final time that I crossed paths with Leon was in the hallways, I muttered "sorry" with my head hanging low. I heard his footsteps stop as I continued my way down the hallway. As much as I wanted to, I resisted the urge to turn around and run back to embrace him. Every step I took, my heart would hurt more and more. I didn't know how far my feeling towards had grown until now. My hands yearned for his. My heart wanted to know that his was in tune with mine. For the first time in my life, I've felt what my father had felt for my mother and vice versa. Except, why did it have to be with a knight of Camelot? A knight of a Kingdom that does not condone the use of magic.

In the middle of the night, I awoke suddenly from the same recurring dream that I've been having for the past couple of nights. Except this time my mother seems happier and less concerned. She keeps telling me that I'm on the right path, that I'm finally following my destiny which left me in a state of confusion. What did she mean? How did it cause me to follow my destiny? Did she want Leon to be upset with me?

I sat on my bed for hours trying to figure out what my mother was trying to tell me but instead, I grew frustrated and decided to visit Eina to clear my mind. Eina sensed that I had entered the stable and awoke instantly. She greeted me but I placed a finger on my lips to quieten her. It was too late in the night for someone to be in the stables. The late night guards would grow suspicious of my actions.

I sat on a bale of hay and began to tell Eina about the dreams I've been having, Leon avoiding me and my confused feelings for Leon. She laid herself next to me as I vocally expressed my emotions. Eventually, my eyes grew weary and my mind could no longer generate enough strength to think of what else to say. I didn't want to go back home as I didn't want to be alone with the demons in my head. My eyelids began to droop and could no longer keep them open. Soon enough, I gave in and allowed myself to enter the darkness of slumber.

My sleep was interrupted by Eina's loud, heavy breathing. I knew something was wrong so I slightly opened my eyes to see what had caused Eina to react in such a way. There was a dark silhouette of someone who was quietly making their way towards us. They tried to quieten down Eina but she only grew more aggravated. I could sense that Eina was ready to rear up and attack the person so I decided to open my eyes and sit up on the bale of hay. The silhouette stopped walking instantly.

"Who's there?" I squinted hoping that I could make out the identity of the person in front of me. I noticed an area of moonlight coming from a small window. "Come closer. Come into the light so I can see you."

The person did so obediently to reveal that the silhouette belonged to Leon. I instantly cringed and shuffled back, towards Eina. Sensing that something was wrong, Eina protectively moved in front of me. Her eyes locked onto Leon.

"Why are you here?" The harshness of my tone caused Leon turn away from my gaze.

"I heard noises in the stable. I thought someone might have been trying take one of the horses. Then I saw you asleep. I thought you must have fallen asleep while visiting Eina so I wanted to take you home so it would be more comfortable for you."

Leon seemed like he was no longer upset with me and I was glad. I still wanted to know the reason as to why he acted the way he did but it was too soon to ask. I let out a sigh of relief and patted Eina to move aside. She moved her head slightly so she had her eye looking at me. I nodded to assure her that she no longer needed to protect me. She turned back to Leon, gave a loud huff and moved aside. I motioned for Leon to sit beside me. He refused. Instead he asked, "May I have a word with you? Perhaps while I walk you home?" I turned to Eina, who still had the look of concern in her eyes; sighed and nodded.

Initially, Leon walked beside me in silence. It felt slightly awkward but I didn't attempt to make conversation. I was too stubborn to. He was the one who wanted to talk to me in the first place. It was only when we could see my house in the distance that he broke the silence.

"Are you going to tell me why you were sleeping in stable or am I going to be hearing it from Percival?" The bitterness in his tone took me by surprise. I had to stop for a moment to compose myself.

"I-I don't understand-" I stuttered as I jogged to catch up with him. He had already reached my house when I had finally caught up to him.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" The amount of emotion in his question made it hard for me to respond quickly which caused his tone to turn bitter. "You and Percival are getting quite close."

I gawked at him, realizing what he was trying to imply. Instead of arguing that he was completely delusional, I smirked and asked, "Don't tell me you're jealous, Leon?"

Leon huffed and turned his head away from me. "Don't be ridiculous," he responded angrily. As he slowly turned back to face me, his tone became cautious, "Is there-"

I chuckled. "No, Leon. You're the one being ridiculous."

A slight gust of wind came upon us which caused me to shiver.

"I think it's about time we went inside," I said through chattering teeth.

As we entered the house, I fumbled through my top draw to find a candle and some matches. I placed the candle on the table and sat down with Leon sitting on the opposite side of the table.

"Was that the reason why you were upset this morning? Because I didn't tell you?" I asked softly.

"No," he replied calmly. "I know there's something more. I know you would have told me if that was the problem. What are you keeping from me?"

"I'm not-" I took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm not keeping anything from you. I was just afraid of how you would react if I told you in person, that's why I told Percival. I just need some distance."

He furrowed his brow. "You know I would give you space if you needed it, but why avoid me? Jasmine, just tell me what's wrong?"

I shuffled in my seat. As much as I wanted to confide myself to him, I knew it would be risky. There was a feeling in my throat that urged me to tell him everything and yet my mind was telling me, "No." Suddenly, it felt like my mother had entered the room. I could feel her presence and without thinking, I opened my mouth and muttered the words, "Alright, I'll tell you."

I gasped once I realized what I agreed to. The presence of my mother had disappeared and a cold sweat had covered my entire being. Leon smiled as I tried to calm myself. I knew I couldn't tell him the entire truth, so I decided to follow what my heart has been trying to tell me for a very long time.

"My two friends, they didn't come from my village, they were knights." I decided to try and tell him parts of the truth without revealing my true identity. "They were protecting our village for sometime and that was how we became really close, they were like brothers to me. I was ignorant about their obligations as knights. I thought they would stay with me until the end, until we were old. It was only because of their death that my eyes were open to the fatality of their duties. I don't think I would be able to cope with another death of a knight I care for."

Leon's eyes softened as he gave me a gentle smile. He took hold of my hands that were resting on the table. "Jasmine, you will not lose me. I promise."

My eyes began to water. "How can you be so sure?" I asked weakly. "You go into battle constantly risking your life and yet you promise me that you will return every time. If you said this to anyone else, they would not believe you."

A tear escaped from the puddle forming in my eyes. It rolled down onto my cheek where Leon's thumb wiped it away. I tried to turn away from his gaze but he used his hand to lift my chin so I could look back into his glimmering eyes.

"I don't want to see these tears fall. During every battle, I will remember that I have you to come back to. I assure you, I will return every time."

A weak smile played on my lips as he gently kissed my right hand. He caressed my hands as he stood up from the table.

"You must get some rest. I will see you in the morning."

He gave me a slight smile before leaving my house. I sighed. I could feel my heart pounding. The warmth of his hands caused my hands to tingle and shake. My emotions for this man was greater than I had first imagine. As much as I knew his promise was made to be broken, I still had a slight feeling that he may keep his promise until the end. I smiled at the thought as I made my way to my bed.

"A knight of Camelot, I wonder how your father would feel about this."

I jumped at the sound of a woman's voice. I quickly turned to the shadows from where the voice was coming from. A woman in a black dress with messy, black hair emerged. Despite her messy look, she still looked like she was made to be a princess. A sly smile was on her face as she analyzed my apparel.

"To be honest, you look like you were made to be a servant girl."

I scowled at her and harshly asked, "Who are you? What do you want from me?"

"Come now," she began, slightly pouting. "No need to be so aggressive. You and I are the same."

I squinted at her, confused at what she was trying to indicate to me.

"We are both sorcerers, are we not? So we must help one another."

I cringed. How did she know that I can use magic? I knew I didn't need her help so what did she need from me? This was the first time I had met her and she already had the nerve to ask a favour from me.

"All I need is the help of your knights," she continued once she realised that I was not going to respond. "I want Friardor to help me take back what is mine."

"And what might that be?" I asked aggressively.

"Camelot." Her face grew stern and there was determination in her voice.

My eyes widened.

"Don't worry, you're beloved knight will not be harmed as long as he surrenders." Her playful tone caused me to shudder. There was no way that Leon would abandon his King so I knew that Leon would not be safe from her treachery and what of the other knights? Gwen? Merlin? Gauis?

"No." I tried to slow down my breathing as her face turned from sly to anger.

"It would be best for you not to cross me. The consequences will be far greater than you think."

I smirked and quickly nudged my head forward causing her to fly back, hitting the wall with an immense force. She groaned in pain and slowly lifted herself up onto her feet. I stood in a defensive position, ready to counter any of her attacks. She scowled and roared, "You will regret this!" A gust of wind entered the house and covered her entire being. Once the wind stopped, the woman was nowhere to be seen. I sat on my bed, exhausted, but I could not sleep that night as I thought of the people that I may have put in danger.


	7. Chapter 7

A month had past since my encounter with the mysterious sorcerer. I found out that she was Arthur's half sister, Morgana. The day after meeting her, I had gone straight to Merlin. I thought he was the best person to ask for advice seeing as he was a sorcerer as well. As much as I wanted to tell Gaius, he would most likely tell me that the best thing for me to do is to go back to Friardor and I didn't want to do that just yet. Not now since I had finally repaired my growing relationship with Leon. However, I still felt uneasy about what she may do to my father, so I set Eina on a journey back to the Kingdom. I ordered her to return when I am needed so I can go back and help in any way I can.

Meanwhile, Camelot was beginning to face one of it's coldest winters for years, according to Gaius. I thought it may have been the doing of the sorcerer but it made me wonder why this would be one of her 'consequences' for defying her. I passed it off as the harsh works of mother nature. Once the weather worsened in the middle of the first month of winter, I decided to help those in the outlying villages to help with their crops as most of them weren't growing due to the harshness of the weather. Occasionally, Leon would join me whenever he was off duty. The villagers were pleased to see a knight helping the misfortunate. I was happy to see their faces light up whenever Leon would arrive at the village. One of the older villagers had come up to me once while helping the people in the barn. She had said to me, "It's nice to know that the King and his knights had not forgotten about us. I'm sure the citadel is suffering due to this wild weather as well." I had told Leon of the villager's comment and soon enough, from time to time, Percival, Elyan and Gwaine would ride out with Leon to help other villages.

My relationship with Leon had returned to its original state after our conversation that night. It was as if nothing had happened. Except, one little change was made. Every time he would have to leave the citadel with the King or any of the knights, he would seek me out to say that he would be back soon. I suppose it was to assure me that he would return. I didn't think it was necessary but I liked that he would always think of me whenever he was given a duty outside of the citadel. It somewhat did make me feel at ease every time I would see him ride off with the other knights from Guinevere's chambers.

However, this time the knights, the King and Merlin had gone on a quest somewhere in the forest north of Camelot. They had been gone for almost a week and I was beginning to feel quite anxious. I was already feeling uneasy when Leon informed me of the task as the weather did not seem to be getting any better. What if this was Morgana's doing? What if she had planned for Arthur to go on this quest with the knights?

It was late in the afternoon and I was standing in Guinevere's chambers as Gwen was pacing back and forth. This was not helping my already anxious state. Sometimes she would pause and looked like she would begin to speak but would continue to pace again instead. I knew I had to stop her before she stresses herself out too much.

"Why don't you take a seat, my lady?" I said as calmly as I could so she would calm herself.

She smiled at me and took a seat. I sighed with relief as my anxiety had slowly faded as the Queen's footsteps were no longer agitating me. Gwen called me over to sit with her. I did so obediently. We sat in silence for a moment before I could hear Gwen worriedly tapping her fingers on the table. After a good few minutes of enduring the irritating sounds of tapping, I could no longer take it and decided to relieve us of the deathly silence by starting a conversation.

"I'm sure they will be back soon, my lady," I assured her.

She gave me a gentle smile and replied, "Yes, maybe they're on their way home already."

Another eerie silence came upon us as I did not know what to talk about. We were both on edge wondering about the ones we cared about. As much as I knew Leon would keep his word that he would return to me after every quest, I couldn't help but worry nonetheless. I wish I could have gone with them. I can defend myself. I know how to fight during battle. It is only because I am a woman that I would not be able to fight along side them if a battle did occur. Plus, Leon would not allow me to risk me life. He would most likely lock me up in the dungeon if I continually defied his warnings just to make sure that I was safe.

We continued to sit in silence as I did not know what else to say to bring relief to the Queen. I did not want to say anything that was out of line or anything that would worry her even more. Gwen did stop tapping her fingers on the table and moved on to taping her foot on the wooden floor. I thought of other things to ignore it. At first it was quite annoying but you did eventually get used to it. Sometimes it would be quite soothing.

Suddenly, we could hear the hooves of horses galloping on the stone ground of the citadel. Gwen ran to the window to see who it was as I was too startled to move anywhere. I just stood from my seat and watched Gwen's face light up. "They're back!" She exclaimed and ran out of the door. I quickly made my way to the window and saw the knights on their horses. I smiled and tried to catch up to Gwen who was already making her way down the stairs towards the entrance.

As I entered the open air, my eyes were fixated on Leon who had just dismounted his horse. I sighed with relief and ran down the stairs to jump into his arms and give him a tight embrace. He was surprised to see me greet him in this manner as he had barely any time to react. It was only when I released him from my grasp that he returned my embrace.

"I'm glad to see you too," Leon said as he released me.

"What took you so long?" I pouted like a little child.

"We – uh – got lost," he lied. I could tell he was lying as I looked up at his face and could see a gash on his forehead that could only have been caused by a sword.

I caressed his cheek and frowned disapprovingly, "You don't need to lie to me, Leon. Tell me the truth. You are home so there is no need to protect me from what happened on your quest." He sighed and I could tell that he was too tired to speak anymore even if he wanted to tell me the truth. "You should rest. We can talk in the morning." I gave him a slight smile and embraced him once more. I was about to turn to walk home but Leon caught my hand and pulled me back.

"Let me walk you home." He smiled.

"But you're tired. I can see it in your eyes. You must-" I began to argue with him but he just sighed and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"But I can still walk you home. I owe you that much since I made you worry."

I took a deep breath and allowed him to walk me home. The other servants took the knights' horses to the stables and I followed Leon into the armoury where they removed their chain-mail. As I walked in, I was startled by Gwaine's booming voice.

"Leon! No women in the armoury!"

"I'm sure I can be an exception just this once." I smirked.

Gwaine smirked back. "Well, you are Leon's woman so I'm sure it'll be fine. As long as you don't mind-" He began to remove his shirt to reveal his muscular frame.

I became flustered and swiftly turned my gaze.

"Gwaine!" Leon barked and led me out of the armoury. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't of taken you inside."

I giggled embarrassingly. "N-no need to apologize. I'm used to seeing men's bodies when I tend to the injured during battles. Gwaine just took me by surprise." I took a couple of deep breaths to calm myself. Leon excused himself as he re-entered the armoury to get changed as I waited outside the door.

Once I heard to door creak open, I quickly turned towards the door thinking that Leon had finished changing. Instead, Gwaine and Elyan walked out. They stopped immediately when they noticed me leaning on the wall. Gwaine shuffled and looked somewhat embarrassed.

"I apologise about what happened in the armoury. I meant no offence."

I gave him a slight smile. "No offence was made so no need to apologise."

Gwaine sighed with relief. He and Elyan excused themselves and began their way down the hallway. I began to think that Leon had told Gwaine to apologise but quickly thought otherwise. Even thought Gwaine may be very flirtatious at times, he knows when to draw the line and when he has caused an offence. Though, in this case, I knew the knights well enough that I am no longer upset when actions like that occur as they all have good hearts.

I only needed to wait a short while longer before I was joined by Percival and Leon. At first I thought Percival was going to walk me home as well, but then he excused himself as I was about to make my way down the hallway. Percival told us that he was extremely tired from their journey and decided that he would take an early night's rest.

Leon took me home where I invited him inside for something to eat as I was certain that he hadn't eaten for some time. I made him a small meal made of an assortment of vegetables. I apologised for the lack of meat in the dish as I had not bought any from the market but he wasn't too fussed about it. Perhaps he was just happy to have a meal indoors where he was safe from the harsh winds of winter.

"I'm sorry I lied to you before," Leon said after finishing his meal. "You were right. I'm home now so there's no point in keeping you from the truth."

"What happened while you were in the forest?" I asked with concern.

He took a sip of water and placed the cup back down on the table before he began.

"We were ambushed," he said gravely. "A band of Saxons tried to attack us in the night. Elyan, who was taking guard, had warned us of the attack just moments before it happened. Even though we were warned, it had happened too quickly for us to comprehend the warning. There were five of them, so it was quite an equal battle. When we thought the fight had been won, I was by surprise by one of the Saxon's and attacked me before Arthur drove his sword in the Saxon's back. That is why you see this wound on my head."

I took hold of his hands that were on the table and slowly caressed them.

"I'm just glad to see you home," I said softly as a slight smile formed on my face.

Leon looked quite exhausted from his travels so I decided to quickly do the dishes before tending to his wound. It wasn't deep at all, which I was glad to see as I knew that stitches were not required. I ground certain herbs into a paste and dabbed it onto the wound. Leon cringed slightly. I chuckled that only a slight sting caused a muscular man like himself to react in such a weak way. He was about to stand up and thank me but I pushed him back down as I was not yet finished with dressing the wound. I placed a small bandage on the wound before pulling him onto his feet. "There. All done," I said cheerily. He smiled, thanked me by softly kissing my hand and went on his way.

The next few days went along as per usual. Gwen moved through the hallways in a cheerier mood with her footsteps light and graceful. Arthur's presence in the castle had brought a brighter mood, not only to Gwen but to his people. I had finished my duties in Gwen's chambers and decided to watch the knights train as I had some time before lunch was to be served to the King and Queen.

When I entered the training ground, Percival and Gwaine were training while Elyan and Leon stood close by. Their faces were sweaty as they were currently practicing and perfecting their sword fighting skills. I picked up one of the swords from the sword rack while continuing to watch the two knights fighting. The sword I picked up was light but extremely sharp. I found it very easy to swing around and felt very confident with it in my hand.

"Jasmine!"

I quickly looked up at the two knights to see that they had stuck their swords in the soil. They were taking a short break from their training. Gwaine motioned me to come closer. I was about to put the sword back in it's place before he stopped me and told me to bring it with me. I looked at him in confusion but did as I was told.

"You keep telling us that you can handle a sword, I want to see whether it's true," Gwaine said with the usual cheekiness in his tone.

"I'm much better with my bow and arrow," I replied with a smirk.

"So...you can't wield a sword?" He asked quite smugly.

I scoffed. "Don't underestimate how I handle a sword just because I'm better with a bow."

I walked to the opposite side of the training ground and prepared myself for battle by gripping the sword in front of me. Usually, I would be in more suitable clothing such as a shirt and pants rather than a dress but this time I don't think Gwaine would be patient enough to wait for me to change. I glanced over to Leon who looked very concerned. I smiled at him and nodded to indicate that everything would be alright.

Gwaine initiated the sword fight by teasing me. He lightly hit my sword with his own to tempt me to attack back but I didn't give in. I stood my ground and continued to smirk at him. If only he knew that I've been trained to use a sword since the tender age of six. Finally, he grew tired of waiting for me to make the first move and swung his sword to try and attack my right arm. I defended myself from the blow instantly and pushed his sword away. I retaliated with an attack to his right side which he easily blocked. This went on until I decided to attack from behind. I quickly moved to the side to turn and surprise him with the attack. Unfortunately he realised my plan and dodged my sword by pushing his shoulder into my body to push me away. I gasped at the sudden movement. It was such a surprise that I couldn't regain my balance and fell onto the ground with a loud _THUD!_

"Gwaine, that's enough! I think that's enough!" I could hear Leon calling from the other side of the training ground.

Gwaine probably didn't hear him as a crowd had formed around us. He pointed his sword at me. The tip almost touching my chest. Gwaine paused for a moment before smiling and stabbing the sword into the ground near my ear. He held out his hand and I smiled back at him acknowledging that I had lost. Though, there was one last thing I wanted to do to show that I wasn't as weak as they thought. I took hold of his hand and just as he was about to pull me on my feet, I tugged on hand with such force that he fell forward. I rolled out of the way as he landed on the ground where I was originally was. He huffed as he pushed himself up off the ground. I was about to do the same when Gwaine held out his hand again. This time I allowed him to pull me onto my feet.

"Not bad, Jasmine. Not bad. Maybe next time you can come hunting with us." Gwaine smiled and we both walked towards the other knights.

I stopped in front of Leon who looked very cross. I couldn't help but lower my head in shame even though I didn't know what I was to be ashamed of. He didn't need to be upset about my fight with Gwaine as he should know that Gwaine wouldn't dare harm me. We were all good friends so it would be a lowly move to attack one of his own.

"That was very dangerous," Leon muttered under his breath.

I sighed. "My two friends were knights, remember? They taught me everything that I know. You don't have to be so protective."

"I guess I'll feel better if you used your bow instead. You'll be further from any danger that comes to you."

A huge smile formed on my face. "Does this mean that you approve? I can go hunting with the knights?" I asked excitedly.

"Only if the King allows it." Leon smiled back and seemed to like the idea of me being with him while on duty.

"You're a fierce one, I can tell you that much."

I heard Percival's deep voice say. I turned around to see Percival, Gwaine and Elyan standing behind me, smiling.

"You'll probably kill more animals than Gwaine with those skills," Elyan chuckled.

"Hey!" Gwaine shouted and they began to playfully argue amongst themselves.

I giggled excitedly as I realised that all the knights seem to like the idea of me joining them on their next hunting trip. To think that I finally may have a chance of going hunting after so long pumped me up. As much as I wished to me as elegant and caring as my mother, growing up with my father and the knights has brought out my eagerness to do more masculine activities. Now since the knights have seen my abilities to use a sword, as well as a bow, I may have a chance to go hunting with them. They can tell the King about my skills and hopefully, I will go with them on their next hunting trip.

Suddenly, a loud echo of bells chiming filled the training ground. We all looked at each other worriedly. It only took us a second to compose ourselves and quickly make our way back to the citadel. The knights had to change into their chain-mail and I made my way to Gwen's chambers hoping to find her there. When I couldn't find her there, I began to worry. I asked one of the guards about her whereabouts and they informed me that the King and Queen had made their way to the grand hall.

I sheepishly opened the door and quickly, but quietly made my way to stand beside Gwen, who was sitting down. The King was in the centre of the hall with his hand on the shoulder of a young girl. I assumed that she her village had been attacked as her garments were tattered and torn. She was crying inconsolable tears as she tried to explain to the King what had happened. I looked up at the knights who were to the side of the hall, their faces filled with concern. Leon also looked up from the young girl to meet my eyes. He gave me weary smile and then went back to concentrating on what the girl had to say.

I couldn't quite comprehend what the she was telling Arthur so I leaned towards Gwen's ear to whisper, "What has happened to her?"

"Her village was attacked by Saxons. She said there was a sorcerer amongst them." She furrowed her brow trying to listen to the rest of the girl's recollection of events.

"Morgana?" I thought to myself.

"It may be."

I jerked up by the sudden voice in my head. I noticed Merlin, who was standing close to Arthur, glancing over at me and knew that he had heard my thoughts.

The young girl looked up from King Arthur. Her eye's widened when she noticed me standing behind Gwen. Suddenly, she started jabbing the air, frantically, with her finger in my direction and shouted, "It's her! She's the sorcerer! She commanded the dragon to attack us!" Quickly, she hid behind Arthur so I could no longer see her. I looked at her direction in bewilderment as all eyes were on me.


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: I just want to apologize in advance at how bad this chapter is, I know it's a terrible excuse but working 3 jobs is taking it's toll. I'll try and make it a lot better and more exciting in the next chapter which I will hopefully post soon.  
**_

_Clang! Clang! Clang!_

I ran my fingers across the metal bars.

_Clang! Clang! Clang!_

Again, I ran my fingers across them but in the opposite direction.

The King had, reluctantly, ordered the guards to take me to the dungeon after I was falsely accused of summoning a dragon to attack an innocent village. After spending the night in the cell, I had spent a lot of that time thinking about my well-being. If the King decides to kill me for supposedly using magic and killing innocent villager, I knew I only had one choice to protect both Camelot and Friardor: I had to try and escape.

Suddenly, I could hear faint footsteps coming down the stairs. I quickly stood from my place and anxiously awaited whoever it was. I assumed that the King had finally decided what to do with me and had sent someone to fetch me so I could find out my fate. My breathing gradually became more rapid as the footsteps grew louder. Soon enough, the silhouette of the person was in sight. As they walked closer, I could see that the silhouette belonged to Merlin. I sighed with relief as I realized that I was not yet ready to find out whether I was to face the penalty of death.

"How are you feeling?" He asked softly as he approached the cell bars with a plate of food.

I shrugged and gave him a faint smile. "I've had better nights, although it may surprise you that I have had worse."

He looked at me with weary eyes as he apologized. I held his hand that was holding onto the cold, metal bar.

"You don't need to apologize. You haven't done anything wrong. I should have listened to Gaius. I should have left as soon as I could. There's nothing but complications that would occur with me staying here." I sighed and decided to ask Merlin the question that had been playing in my mind for the entire night. "So what is Arthur's plan? Do you know what they'll do with me?"

Merlin took his time to answer, but I didn't understand why as he just shook his head. I could see the immense sadness in his eyes and wished I could just wrap my arms around him. I wanted to tell him that everything would be alright, even though I was yet to find out the verdict.

"You know I will get you out of here if it comes to the worst," he muttered under his breath.

I looked at him with a sharp stare and gripped his hand tighter against the bar.

"You will do no such thing!" I said harshly. "I will not allow you to burden yourself. You are the King's protector, even if the King doesn't know it."

Before Merlin could respond, we were startled by the sound of a set of footsteps coming closer towards us. We both looked at the direction of the sound. I could make out that the silhouette was one of a knight's and knew my fate was decided.

My heart dropped when I realized that they had sent Leon to collect me. Leon's face was expressionless but I had a feeling that this wasn't easy for him. Camelot had been under attack by sorcerers for many years. It's had its fair share of people who have tricked the King into falling into a sense of security before stabbing him in the back. Even though I know I have been framed for this act of sorcery, I could only imagine the heartbreak Leon was feeling at the moment.

Merlin moved to the side to allow Leon to take his place so he was standing opposite me. I was finding it hard to breathe as I knew anything I would say wouldn't make Leon feel any better. Merlin excused himself and made his way back up the stairs, possibly to accompany Arthur when I am told of my fate.

"Jasmine, I-I don't-" Leon began but I instantly interrupted as I knew he was not going to let me out of these cells without telling me how he felt about the whole matter.

"Leon, just take me to the King. I just want to know what he's decided for me." I was surprised by the harshness of my tone.

Instantly, Leon's shoulders dropped. I knew I had upset him, but I couldn't allow my feelings to get in the way this time. If worse came to worse, I needed to plan my escape without my heart getting in the way. My feelings for Leon would only hinder my plans to protect both Camelot and Friardor. He opened the cell door and chained my hands together before leading me to the grand hall in tense silence where the King and Queen were awaiting my arrival.

The eerie silence of the hall was only interrupted my the creaking of the doors shutting behind me. Leon went to join the line of knights to my right as the King and Queen were sitting on their thrones. Arthur had a stern look on his face as for Gwen, all she showed was the look of concern. I was made to kneel on the wooden floor in front of the King, who had stood up from his throne to stand directly in front of me.

I thought he was about to speak, to tell me of their decision, but instead Arthur held out his hand. I looked at it blankly. What was he trying to do?

"Stand up, Jasmine."

I took hold of his hand and instantly pulled myself up. My eyes darted to Gwen. I was still left in confusion and hoped that she would give me an indication to why her husband was doing this. However, she did not give me any answers. Gwen just gave me a slight nod as if she was approving my obedience to stand before the King. He gave me a hard stare as he continued to hold onto my hands. I could feel a cold sweat forming on the back of my neck as I waited patiently for him to speak. It felt like ages until he finally gave me his verdict.

I noticed the looks of worry amongst the knights. I didn't know whether that was an indication of what Arthur had decided for me or whether they were still waiting just as I was. My eyes locked onto Leon who seemed to no longer be able to hold his head up to look in my direction. His head hung low and slightly tilted away from me. Gwaine, who was standing beside him, patted Leon's arm for a moment to comfort him. Leon turned his head to force to smile at Gwaine but couldn't seem to gain to strength as his shoulders dropped even lower and decided to look back at the ground.

"Jasmine, you do know why you have been called here."

My eyes darted back to Arthur's gaze. This was it, I was about to find out his judgement. I took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yes, my Lord," I replied softly.

"After searching your home and looking through your belongings, we have not found any evidence that you are a sorcerer. However," Arthur paused for a moment.

I realized I was holding my breath and quickly decided to take a couple of deep breaths before he continued. I didn't want to faint in front of everyone in the hall.

"However," Arthur continued, "it made no sense to me as to why that young women had accused you of such an act. Do you have anything to say about this?"

I bit my lip and took another deep breath before answering. "I don't know why she would say such a thing against me. I have never seen her before. Perhaps she has me mistaken for someone else, because I didn't even know dragons still existed in these lands."

This was all true. I thought the presence of dragons upon these lands were long gone after the reign of King Uther. I have never laid my eyes on a dragon for my entire life. I've only heard stories of such great and majestic beings from my mother and father.

"Jasmine, you have protected my life and the lives of my knights before. I do not doubt your loyalty to this Kingdom, so because of that I've decided to overlook these accusations against you. However, if you do act against the Kingdom in any way, this act of kindness will not be given to you again, do you understand?"

I blinked blankly at the King as my mind tried to comprehend what had just occurred. I was being let free. I smiled at the Arthur who smiled back. Without thinking, I threw myself at him and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! I will never do anything to disrespect you or the Queen. I promise."

As I let Arthur go, he still had a huge smile on his face and said, "I'm glad to hear it. You may go home now, you can resume your duties tomorrow."

I looked around the hall at everyone to see that they all had smiled on their faces. Relieved that I was allowed to live another day and to live each day as per usual. One face I did not see however. It seemed that he left as soon as Arthur had told me of my fate. It somewhat upset me as I wanted to just into his arms next. Perhaps I would see him later in the armoury before he goes to the training grounds with the other knights in the afternoon.

The armoury was empty when I had entered it early in the afternoon. I thought that I must have just missed Leon, however, as much as I searched for him around the castle, he didn't seem to be anywhere. While walking through the corridors, I had bumped into Gwen and asked her if she knew Leon's whereabouts. She only shook her head and told me that the last time she saw him was in the grand hall. I found this quite odd as the King usually calls for Leon regarding issues concerning Camelot which happens at least twice or three times a day.

For assurance, I thought I would visit the knights at the training grounds hoping to find Leon there but to no prevail. He was nowhere in sight. I started worry. Where was Leon? Did he miss the training session? I asked Gwaine and Elyan whether they had seen Leon, but just like Gwen, they had not seen him since the grand hall.

"Did he say anything to you before he left?" I asked them in regards to their last sightings of Leon.

Elyan shook his head. "He left without a word to any of us. He didn't even wait until we were dismissed. I thought he had left early to see you."

I swallowed hard and started fidgeting. My nerves were getting to me as my concerns for Leon's whereabouts were growing. Where had he gone? This was not like him to leave without saying a word, especially to the King. Gwaine noticed my anxious fidgeting and place his hand on my shoulder.

"If we find him, we'll send word to you. You should go home and rest. Leave the search to us."

I gave him a slight smile and thanked them. Gwaine and Elyan simultaneously nodded once before walking back towards the castle. Sighing, I turned to walk home. Without any hints to where Leon would be, I didn't know where to begin looking for him. I wasn't giving up on my search but I knew it was best for the knights to find him rather than myself as they almost do everything together. However, it seemed like I didn't have to search any longer as I found Leon sitting on a barrel in front of my house. I let out a sigh of relief and quickly made my way towards him.

"Leon! I'm so happy that you're here!" I exclaimed with a huge smile on my face. Except, he didn't greet me as warmly. Instead, he just looked at me before looking back down with a glum look on his face. My eyes narrowed as I looked at him quizzically. What was going on in that mind of his?

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" He asked in an angry tone without looking at me.

It caused me to stutter a reply. "Y-yes, o-of course. Please."

I quickly opened the door and gestured for him to come inside. I was in a state of confusion. Why was he acting this way? He leaves the hall without a word to anybody, doesn't turn up to training and now he doesn't seem like himself at all. He immediately made his way to the table and sat himself down. It took me a couple of seconds to gather my thoughts and realized that I was standing at the door staring at him. He didn't seem to notice as he just sat there with perfect posture, looking straight ahead. I decided to join him and sit on the opposite side of the table.

"I've been looking for you everywhere," I said in a slightly cheerful tone hoping that he would lighten up a bit, but nothing had changed. "Where have you been?"

Leon didn't bother to acknowledge my question.

"Jasmine, I don't believe that this can continue."

My chest tightened instantly.

"W-what do you mean?" I blurted.

I could see the pain and sorrow in his eyes as he locked his on mine. As much as I was feeling immense agony from what he was saying, I knew he too was suffering from his decision.

"After all Camelot's been through, I cannot be as kind as the King."

"You believe her? You believe that I would hurt innocent villagers? After losing two people who I saw as family after being attacked in a village?" I said disgustedly.

"I don't know what to believe," his tone was calm and I could sense that he was saddened by his decision. "I just know that this distance will be best for Camelot."

"I did not summon a dragon! I did not attack a village! You know I wouldn't harm an innocent person. Please, Leon." I began to beg as he stood up from his seat.

He didn't bother to give me any sort of reply. He just exhaled heavily and made his way to the door. I couldn't let him leave like this. To leave thinking that I would do such a thing to an innocent village. I grabbed hold of his hand just as the other was about to reach the door handle. I tugged it as a gesture for him to stay but instead he brushed me off and made his way out the door, slamming the door behind him. It took me a second to collect my thoughts and decide to try and chase after him. But as I looked down the path, I stopped myself knowing that he didn't want to listen to anything else I had to say. I was fighting the tears that were forming in my eyes, but a single memory struck me hard like a tonne of bricks and the tears began to fall.

"You broke your promise," I whispered as I watched Leon walk into the darkness towards the citadel.


	9. Chapter 9

_Steady. Steady._

My eyes were fixed on my target as I fitted my arrow to my bow. I sat up straight and drew the bow to my chin. I waited until the soft sounds of birds singing could be heard in the treetops. The target lowered it heard to take another mouthful of grass and I knew it was time for me to make my move. I released my grip from my arrow and watched it spear the back of the deer's neck. Lowering my bow, I exhaled and jumped from the tree branch I had sat on.

"That's makes it two for two," Gwaine said, looking quite impressed. "You weren't lying when you declared yourself one of the best with a bow."

I looked at him quizzically.

"And when did I say that?"

"A few times while we were training."

My eyes narrowed as I corrected him, "I said I was better with a bow. Not that I'm the best, but if _you're_ saying it, thank you."

I giggled cheekily as I walked towards the deer's corpse to examine it. The arrow had pierced the deer's neck with such force that only a small circle of blood had stained the fur surrounding the arrow. I was quite chuffed that I was still able to hit such a perfect shot even though I had not hunted in months. Sadly, the arrow had killed the deer instantly that it's eyes were still open. It was difficult for me to look at the deer any longer. I took a deep breath and closed it's eyelids and whispered a short prayer. Even though I love hunting and doing things a princess shouldn't, I still felt bad for killing another living being. I suppose it was something I inherited from my mother.

I was about to take the back legs of the deer to pull it back to the citadel when someone's hand on my own. They patted my right hand, that was holding one of the deer's legs, to indicate for me to let go. I looked up to see Percival smiling down at me. "Allow me." In one swift movement, he hauled the deer over his shoulder with one hand. I smiled at him, impressed. We both walked towards the other knights who were already making their way through the forest back to the citadel.

Leon decided not to join us once he found out that Arthur accepted my request to go hunting with the other knights. He told Arthur that it was best for him to stay within the castle walls. He wanted to keep a look out just in case something happens to Camelot after the threat of a sorcerer attacking the outlying village. I knew he was just making excuses so he didn't have to be in a close proximity to me. Since that dreadful day where he walked away from me, he's done nothing but keep his distance. It was as if I had a horrible infectious disease that he didn't want to catch from me. The look of disgust he had on his face whenever I caught a glimpse of him look at me was upsetting. To think that it only took one villager, who I've never seen before, to cause Leon to act so hatefully towards me.

I quickly shook the thoughts of Leon out of my head. The more I thought of Leon and how quickly his feelings for me had faded, the more it pained me. I couldn't allow the other knights how affected I was by all of it. As much I felt extremely comfortable amongst the other knights, I still had the stubbornness and pride that I had inherited from my father. I didn't want to show them that I was weakened by the events of the past few days.

Merlin slowed his pace so I could catch up to him. I knew he wanted to speak to me after my release. Every time we would cross paths in the corridors, I didn't give him the chance to speak. I tried to keep myself as pre-occupied as I could. To be honest, I didn't want to speak to anyone about what had happened, especially when they would begin to talk about my relationship with Leon. Gwen tried to sit me down for such a conversation, but I told her quite bluntly that it wasn't something I wanted to talk about at that moment. I was happy that she respected how I felt and didn't speak anymore about it.

I sighed after a moment of Merlin staring at me in silence. It was about time I had opened up to him. I waited until the knights were a few good metres in front of us so they wouldn't be able to hear us.

"What is it, Merlin?" I asked calmly.

"It's nothing," he said as he cautiously smiled at me.

"Merlin," I looked at him sternly.

I didn't want to beat around the bush. If he had something to say, he should just say it. He knew this and finally told me what he had on his mind.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright," I replied vaguely.

He looked at me oddly. I could tell that he wanted more information. I sighed and reluctantly told him what I had been feeling for the past couple of days.

"It's hard, Merlin. To see him look at me as if I was nothing but a pile of dung on the ground, it hurts. We were doing so well for so many months and then Morgana just had to turn up and do this."

Tears began to form in my eyes but I quickly wiped them away. I didn't want the knights to turn around and see me in a mess. The only people I have trusted enough to see this side of me was Merlin and Leon. However, now that Leon has kept his distance, all I had was Merlin to lean on now.

"This is what she wants, Jasmine," Merlin began to comfort me by placing his hand on my shoulder. "She wants you to feel helpless to the point where agreeing to her demands seems like the best choice. Just don't give in to her. There's always a way out. It's only Leon who doesn't trust you right now. He will see sense. You've got me, the knights, the King and Queen to prove that you are innocent."

I gave him a weak smile to acknowledge that he was right. There's still a way to get Leon back, I just need to be patient until he sees that I'm innocent. Merlin and I began to walk faster to catch up to the knights who were a few good metres ahead of us. Just as we were only a metre or two away from the others, Merlin stopped me.

"There is one thing I have to tell you."

I looked at him in confusion.

"Gauis, wants to speak with you when we get back."

I groaned as I knew what Gauis would want to talk to me about. Merlin chuckled as he walked ahead of me. I looked at him disapprovingly. I was beginning to grow anxious as Gaius would not be happy with what I plan to tell him when I visit him back in the citadel.

When we got back to the citadel, I quickly walked up the stairs. As much I didn't want to talk to Gauis, I knew it was best to get it over and done with and leave Gauis to be upset with my decision.

"Where are you off to in a rush?"

I turned around to see Gwaine at the bottom of the staircase.

"Merlin told me that Gauis wanted to see me. I don't want to keep him waiting," I replied cheerily.

"Oh," was all Gwaine said as he seemed upset about something. This worried me.

"Why? What's wrong?" My eyebrows furrowed as I waited for his response.

"It's nothing. I was hoping you would be at the training session this afternoon."

I sighed and smiled down at him.

"I'll go to the training grounds once I'm done."

I giggled as his face lit up.

"I'll see you there."

With that, he walked off into the direction of the training grounds. Why was he so worried about me not being able to go to the training grounds with afternoon? It was all very suspicious, but I didn't let it worry me too much. I needed to keep my head clear for my conversation with Gauis.

_Knock! Knock!_

I knocked on the wooden door of Gaius' chambers. There was a moment of silence before I heard Gaius' muffled voice. "You may enter." I slowly pushed the door which made an irritating creaking sound. I could feel my hands shaking as I pushed the door open. My heart was beating so fast that I thought that I may collapse at any moment. He acknowledged me with a smile and indicated for me to sit down on the chair next to the table where he was working on his remedies.

"Merlin said that you wanted to see me," I said as I sat down.

Gaius didn't sit down to speak with me until he had finished the remedy that he was making at the time. He did apologize for making me wait, but I didn't have to wait for too long. He only had to wait for his potion to boil before he could pour it into a small jar.

"I'm sure you know what I want to talk to you about," Gaius said as he sat in the chair opposite me.

I nodded almost immediately.

"You told me that you would leave as soon as your arm was better."

"I know," I said quickly. "I just-I just need more time."

"Jasmine," he sighed. "This isn't about going against your father anymore, is it?"

I shook my head.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Jasmine. You're not only risking your life but the people of Friardor and Camelot," he explained softly.

"I know that, Gaius, but I can't leave when Leon thinks so lowly of me."

I could tell that he was getting quite annoyed and I knew this would happen. However, he didn't raise his voice at me at all during the whole conversation. He had the same tone throughout. It was soft and calm.

"Isn't now the best time to make your way back to Friardor? It would be easier for you and Leon."

I thought about his question deeply, but it didn't deter me from my initial plan of staying until I patch things up with Leon.

"I can't. I can't leave my heart here."

I could see that Gaius was about to interrupt me but I looked at him with pleading eyes which stopped him from saying anything.

"I know my father's always planned for me to marry a Prince, to join two Kingdoms together. I, too, thought that was part of my destiny, but now I cannot see myself loving anyone else. I've never felt this way about any of the Princes I have met throughout my life and I know that it must mean something. I cannot just let him go."

Gaius sighed and knew that anything he was going to say wouldn't change my mind. I was determined to stick it out until the end. Until Leon realizes that I'm not the person he thinks I am.

"Jasmine, you know the consequences that comes with your actions."

"Yes," I replied softly but confidently. "And I will accept them if problems do arise."

"I certainly hope everything will go to plan, for your sake."

I gave him a slight smile and knew that there was no-more that was going to be said. We both stood up from our seats. I could see the immense sadness in Gaius' eyes which caused me to shy away from looking at him any longer. I could only guess to what he was thinking at that moment. He put his reputation on the line to protect my mother and now he may have to do it again to save me. But there's a difference between then and now: I wanted to face the consequences of my actions on my own, without Gaius' help. I just couldn't allow myself to put anyone in harm's way because of my own selfish actions. Before I left Gaius' chambers, I couldn't help but give Gaius a tight embrace. I thanked him for understanding and then went on my way.

I quickly made my way to the training grounds. When I got there, I sheepishly walked towards Gwaine. They had just finished their training session and were packing up their weapons. Gwaine seemed to be busy talking to Arthur so I decided to sit myself down on a bench which happened to have a bouquet of flowers. They looked beautiful. The assortment of colours really complimented each other. I picked them up to take a closer look, when I was startled by Gwaine's voice.

"I was hoping to surprise you but I see that you've noticed them already."

My head shot up to see him standing in front of me, accidentally dropping the bouquet on the ground. I looked at him blankly.

"What are these for?" I asked, still confused.

"I know you and Leon have had a hard time these past couple of days. It's just something to cheer you up," he said as he crouched down to pick up the flowers and handed them to me.

I smiled at him as I graciously took them from him. "Thank you, Gwaine. It's so nice of you."

I took a sniff at the flowers. The strong aromas of the different flowers caused me to sneeze. The mixture of the odours overwhelmed my nose. It wasn't a terrible smell but, it was quite odd. Although, I assumed it was because I wasn't one to be interested in flowers to begin with. Once my mother passed away, I was brought up in a more masculine scene unlike the Princesses in other Kingdoms.

Gwaine laughed and suggested that we put them into a vase before they begin to whither. I agreed and we made our way back to my house. However, we had to stop by the marketplace as I didn't own a vase since I have never had to use one before. We bought as beautiful handmade, clay vase. It wasn't too fancy but it did have a few curved patterns carved into it.

Gwaine talked throughout the whole walk to my house. It didn't bother me though. I suppose I've just gotten used to his constant ramblings. Surprisingly, he would sometimes talk about something that I would find quite interesting.

Just before we arrived at my house, I quickly stopped as I saw someone standing outside of my door. It looked like he was about to leave and I was quite pleased that he was. Suddenly, Gwaine noticed the person as well and decided to call his name.

"Leon!"

My eyes widened. I slowly turned to Gwaine to glare at him be he seemed to ignore my look and smiled as he eagerly waited for Leon to walk up to us. I turned back to Leon, panic-stricken. His face looked fierce as he walked towards me and Gwaine. He quickly glanced at the vase of flowers in my hands, looked at me, then at Gwaine and then back at me. I could only assume what he was thinking. He stood at my feet but turned to speak to Gwaine instead.

"We have to go out on patrol soon. I suggest you get your horse."

Leon's eyes shot back to me before he walked around us to walk back to the castle. I exhaled once he was a few metres away from us. I didn't realise how long I was holding my breath. Gwaine placed his hand on my back and excused himself. I must have had a terrified look on my face. He apologized and asked, "Do you want me to see you after?" I quickly shook my head and tried to smile to suggest that I would be fine. He smiled back and followed Leon's path back to the castle.

When I placed the vase of flowers on my dining table, I realised that my hands were shaking. I knew it wasn't because I saw Leon. I knew it was because the vase of flowers had just brought Gwaine into my problem with Leon.


	10. Chapter 10

_Crash!_

My ears pricked up at the sound of breaking pottery. I quickly turned around to face the direction the sound had come from. I swiftly made my way to Gwen's chambers making sure that I didn't drop her breakfast that I was holding in my hands.

Gwen had been out of sorts last night because of an argument she had with Arthur. She didn't give me the details of it but she was still upset with Arthur when I crossed paths with her in the hallway before she went to bed. This did worry me. I was hoping that her emotions did not lead her to doing something she would regret. As much as I knew her to be a person with a kind heart, anger can always make any pure-hearted person to do something drastic. My mind initially thought of Morgana and how kind-hearted she was before she was corrupted by the thought of ruling Camelot.

"Gwen!" I shouted in panic as I pushed the door open.

I scanned the room to find her staring blanking at shattered pieces of a vase on the wooden floor. She didn't take any notice of me. She seemed to be in her own little world. My heart began to race faster as I cautiously walked closer to her. I placed her breakfast on the table before continuing to make my way to her. I softly repeated her name over and over, hoping not to startle her by my presence but she couldn't seem to hear me. As I stood beside her looking down at the broken vase, she finally acknowledged me but it only worried me even more.

"I'm sorry, Jasmine. I broke the vase," she said, absentmindedly.

"Yes, now let's move away from it so I can clean it up for you, my Lady," I said slowly and cautiously.

I took hold of her hand and guided her to the table to take a seat. Even though I knew she wasn't in any state to eat, I uncovered her breakfast hoping that she would eat something. She didn't take any notice of it. Her face still had that blank look about it. Her mind was definitely elsewhere.

Sighing, I excuse myself to obtain a broom from the storeroom. My mind was filled with worry. When she had told me of her argument with Arthur last night, she was fuming and wouldn't stop talking about how upset she was. But now, she seems to be in another world. Did something happen between her and Arthur last night? Did they have another argument that led to Gwen acting this way so early in the morning?

_Oof!_

I didn't realise someone was standing in front if me and had walked into a knight. He was talking with one of the guards on duty when I accidentally bumped into him. The knight turned around to reveal that the knight was Gwaine. I must have still had a worried expression on my face as his smile dropped instantly when he looked at me.

"Is everything all right?" He asked as he looked into my eyes and tried to examine my facial expression.

I nodded unconvincingly. He slumped his shoulders and looked at me disapprovingly. He turned back to the guard and excused himself so he could walk with me to the storeroom. During our walk to the storeroom he continued to question my well-being but I didn't give him any sort of reply as my mind was only focused on Gwen. Gwaine must have become irritated with my silence that he quickly walked ahead of me to stop me from entering the storeroom.

"I will not allow you to enter until you tell me what's going on."

I looked into his eyes and could see that he was determined to get an answer from me. I rolled my eyes and finally gave in.

"It's really nothing, Gwaine. I'm just worried about the Queen."

Panic splashed onto his face.

"She's alright." I lied. "She's just accidentally broken a vase. I'm just getting a broom to clean it up."

"Is there anything that you need me to do? I heard about her argument with Arthur, maybe I can talk to him."

I shook my head and smiled. "No, no. I'm sure Gwen will be alright."

He smiled, awkwardly, as he moved aside to finally allow me to enter the storeroom. Once I found the broom, we were about to head to Gwen's chambers when the sight of Leon caught me by surprise. He had turned a corner and began walking down the hallway towards us. I turned to Gwaine, who was looking at Leon with a smile on his face. Leon didn't look very pleased as he turned another corner and passed us without saying a word. I gulped heavily before excusing myself from Gwaine and quickly made my way to Gwen's room.

When I entered her chambers, I first noticed Gwen still sitting in the seat I had left her in with her food still untouched. She still had the same look on her face. It was as if I had never left the room. I walked over to the broken pottery and swept it up to a corner where it was out of harm's way for a moment as I wanted to talk to Gwen before I took the broken vase out of her room.

I sat down on the seat beside her. She didn't seem to have noticed me at all. I took hold of her hands that lay lifeless on the table. Her head turned slowly to face me. I gave her a slight smile but her facial expression didn't change. I sighed and decided to ask her what had happened. At first her shoulders dropped, possibly due to the thoughts of what had caused her to act in this way. Her hands began to tremble which caused me to caress her hands to try and calm her down.

"The dream felt so real," she finally said looking at me with fear in her eyes.

I sighed with relief knowing that Gwen was no longer in a world of her own.

"Would you like to tell me about it?" I asked her, hoping that it would make her feel better.

"It's about the patrol that Arthur will be joining the knights tomorrow," she said forcing back tears.

I looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"The dream felt so real," she repeated but I urged her to continue. "He doesn't return."

"Who doesn't return?" I urged.

"Arthur," she answered with a tear rolling down her cheek. "Morgana, sh-she ambushed the knights and Arthur never returns."

I sigh and give her a gentle smile.

"It's all a dream, Gwen," I began to comfort her. "Arthur will return. I promise you. It's only a dream."

"As much as I tell myself that it was a dream, it felt too real to not believe that something may happen."

"Will it make you feel at ease if I joined them and make sure Arthur returns to you?"

Gwen's eyes widened and shook her head, roughly. "I will not allow you to risk your life."

"I've gone hunting with the King and his knights. I'm sure going along on a patrol with them will be just fine." I gave her a reassuring smile. "I don't want you to worry anymore."

"Jasmine-" Gwen began.

I assumed that she was going to try and talk me out of it, and thought that I had to be more aggressive. I looked straight into her eyes.

"No, Gwen. You have to tell Arthur to bring me with them. I want to fulfill my promise to you that Arthur will return to you tomorrow."

Gwen sighed. A smile began to form as she nodded. "Thank-you Jasmine. Bring him back to me."

I nodded. As I stood up from my seat, Gwen added, "Make sure everyone comes back safe. Make sure you come back safe."

I smiled and said, "Of course. For you, my Lady," before leaving Gwen to finally eat her breakfast.

As I walked down the corridor passed the armoury, I could hear two men arguing in the armoury. They were so loud that I could identify who the voices belonged to. I knew it was wrong, but I decided to stand by the door and listen in on what the two men where arguing about.

"I don't see what your problem is!" I could her Gwaine's voice yell from the other side of the wooden door.

"You don't understand how your putting yourself and Camelot in danger!" Leon's voice followed.

"She's an innocent girl who's lost her friends. I don't see how she can pose a danger to us."

"Gwaine, you're being blinded by her innocence. She's manipulating you to think that she is of no harm to anyone."

My brow furrowed as I realized that Gwaine and Leon were arguing because of me. I knew this would have happen eventually after all the encounters I've had with Leon in the past couple of days. Every single time being with Gwaine.

I could hear Gwaine sigh on the other side of the door. "Leon, ever since she was accused of something she _didn't_ do, all you've done was treat her like a criminal. What happened to you? You used to care so much for her."

"It make's no sense why the villager would accuse Jasmine randomly. There must be a reason. She's betrayed my trust and is putting Camelot in danger, my feelings are no longer relevant," Leon's voice seemed as if his mind was elsewhere. "She's using us. It's terrible how no-one else can see that."

I jumped as the door began to open. I was still disorientated from what I heard that I didn't have any time to react. There I was face to face with Leon. His eyes narrowed as he saw me in front of him. I could see Gwaine sitting on a bench peering to the side, surprised to see me. I thought Leon would just walk right passed me as he usually does, but I guess that the heat of his argument with Gwaine was still running through his veins.

"Stay away from Gwaine and the rest of the knights," he said threateningly.

He quickly turned away from my gaze and stormed down the hallway. I froze, trying to comprehend what I had just heard. I slowly turned my head to Gwaine who was now standing by the doorway next to me, his hand on my shoulder. My face still radiating with blank confusion. He smiled awkwardly at me but I couldn't manage to smile back. Instead, I just turned back to watch Leon walk away, like I have been these past couple of days.


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: Here's a short chapter for you guys. I had a little bit of time to type this one up and since you guys have been so patient I thought I would upload it early plus I don't know how long 'til the next chapter will be. Sorry to keep you guys waiting all the time. Thanks for reading! :)_

"I'm still finding it difficult to adjust to this new look."

I turned my head to see Gwaine analysing my attire. I was wearing a white shirt with a leather vest, brown pants and boots, alongside my bows and arrow attached to my back. Something I've been used to wearing since my first hunt with my father at the tender age of seven. To be honest, I've always felt more comfortable in my hunting clothes than I have been in any of the dresses I've had to wear in my life, whether as a Princess or now as a servant girl.

I chuckled at Gwaine's comment but it slowly faded as I caught sight of Leon riding behind Gwaine. His eyes were fierce as he glared at me. Every since he found out that I was joining them on this patrol, he's been in a sour mood. Though, it doesn't feel any different from how he's been acting around me lately. Before we left the citadel, overheard Leon trying to convince Arthur why I shouldn't join them. Arthur, too, did not think it would be safe for me but for some reason, that I could not comprehend, he told Leon that he had to accept Gwen's request. His words, "it's so Gwen doesn't find out and worry" still embedded in my mind, wondering what Arthur had meant.

Swallowing hard, I turned my head back around so I no longer had to see Leon's harsh expression. I knew he was upset that I did not follow his threat. But how could I? I made a promise to Gwen and I didn't want to break it because of a threat that I could never follow. The knights and I have grown so much closer since Leon and I have fallen out. They've supported me and have tried to get Leon to see that I am not one to pose a threat to Camelot. It's too bad that they're efforts have not changed Leon's way of thinking.

We had been traveling on horseback for some time now that the sun was now setting. I still had no idea where we were traveling to as this was my first patrol with the knights. Arthur decided to set up camp in the middle of the forest as the other knights, Gwaine in particular, were beginning to grow restless. I decided to help Merlin search for firewood as the knights sat themselves down on some nearby logs.

"It must be strange for you riding a horse than isn't Eina," Merlin said as he picked up a piece of firewood from the forest floor.

The thought of Eina left a slight smile on my face. "Yes, it's very strange but she's needed in Friardor. I can't keep her away from her duties," I giggled.

I looked at the direction of the camp site and noticed that we were some distance away from it. It was a safe enough distance that the knights would not be able to hear us.

"Merlin," I began. "Do you know where we're going? Is this usually how far the knights travel while on patrol?"

Merlin looked at me in confusion. "Patrol? Did Arthur not tell you where we are going?"

I shook my head which surprised Merlin.

"We're going to the village that was attacked by the Saxons," he notified me in a serious tone.

I gasped. The young girl's village. The young girl who accused me of using a dragon to destroy her home. Instantly, I began to panic. I shouldn't be here. No wonder Leon seemed to be giving me more dirty looks than usual. I know that I haven't done any thing wrong against the girl and the villagers but what if this was Morgana's plan all along? To lead me to the village and look like I own a dragon and was responsible for the attack on this poor, defenceless village.

Merlin noticed that I was beginning to panic. He wrapped his arms around me and started to whisper consoling words to me, "It's going to be alright. This way you can prove to Arthur and the knights, especially Leon, that you took no part in that attack."

I pushed myself away from the warmth of his body.

"No!" I shouted as my breathing rate increased rapidly. "I-I must leave. I'll be trapped. A dragon will come and I'll be sentenced to death. Then-then Camelot will be at war."

Merlin took my hand in his and caressed it with his other hand.

His eyes softened as he continued, "You can't leave. They will just grow more suspicious. You must do this. I was wondering why Arthur agreed for you to come along on this quest, but now I know Arthur wants to be sure that he made the correct decision letting you free."

I took a deep breath as I understood Merlin's logical reason as to why this was part of my destiny. If I wanted to patch my relationship up with Leon, this was the best way to do it. Prove to him that I would never harm an innocent village, that I was still the young woman he had grown to love.


	12. Chapter 12

The calmness of the night had a slight eeriness to it. The knights, Merlin and Arthur had fallen asleep on the forest floor. I was currently looking down at them from a high tree branch that I decided to take refuge in for the night. My body didn't recognise sleep as an option as my mind was filled with thoughts of the days to come. Merlin had told me that we would possibly reach the village tomorrow just before the sun would begin to set. Having this knowledge had caused my mind to race with many different situations that may occur once we arrive at the village.

I smothered my face into my knees. Trying to remove the terrible thoughts from my mind. I sighed when I realise that it was impossible and decided to look up at the clear dark sky, hoping that it would somehow clear my mind. The twinkle of the stars were quite calming and I found myself beginning to relax as a cool breeze swept through the treetops.

A sudden snort from below interrupted the silence of the night. I looked down and chuckled as Gwaine turned to sleep on his back and started to snore loudly. My eyes wondered around the camp site looking at each of the knights' sleeping bodies radiated by the moonlight. My eyes stopped at the sight of Leon's silhouette leaning on a large oak tree. I sighed sadly. Seeing Leon in this peaceful state caused me to begin to think of the horrible scenarios that may occur when we arrive at the village. Whatever happens will either make or break the little part of our relationship that is still giving me, and hopefully Leon too, hope that we will rekindle what we had before.

I was beginning to grow tired of the demons in my head, so I decided to silently climb down from the branch and try to walk off these thoughts. Even with the moonlight, it was difficult for me to see ahead of me. I felt around the ground hoping to find a decent piece of wood that I could use as a torch. I sighed with relief when I had finally found one. As I was about to cast a spell to light a flame onto the piece of wood, I was startled by Percival's voice.

"Jasmine?" He whispered, "Why are you still awake?"

Turning around, I could see Percival sitting up against a large log. His eyes peering at me as it was hard for him to see with only the moonlight as his source of light. I decided to walk closer so we both could get a better look at each other. I was only a few feet away from him but I still found it difficult for me to see him clearly in the dark, so I sat beside him, leaning on the log. I found this a bit more appropriate seeing as the other knights were still asleep. I didn't want to cause a commotion and wake them up, especially since they need a good night's rest for what lays ahead.

"I couldn't sleep," I explained to Percival. "I keep thinking about tomorrow."

"You know where we are travelling to?" He asked in surprise.

"Merlin informed me. Was I not supposed to know?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

"I did not mean it like that, I just did not know that you had been informed," he quickly explained. "What's worrying you?"

I exhaled heavily before I told him of my concerns regarding the village and convincing Leon that I took no part in it's destruction. Panic began to appear in my voice by the end of my explanation and Percival noticed it instantly. He took hold of my shaking hands and tried to calm them.

"If you've done nothing wrong, you shouldn't have anything to worry about. Leon will see that he's wrongly accused you and everything will fall back to what it used to be."

He smiled at me reassuringly. I couldn't help but smile back and thank him. I was pleased that none of Arthur's most loyal knights were questioning my innocence. Percival told me to finally get some rest as I yawned involuntarily. I nodded sleepily as being able to release my mind of it's stresses had made me extremely sleepy. Exhaling heavily, I made myself comfortable beside Percival and leaned my head against his surprisingly comfortable, muscular shoulder. It didn't take long until I feel into a deep, blissful slumber.

The next day was met with a long voyage to the village. It took us almost half the day but we eventually arrived there in the middle of the afternoon. The rays of the sun was hitting us hard. We had to stop by a nearby lake or river many times during our journey as we didn't want to greet the village in a dehydrated state. We did not enter the village as we did not know what would meet us when we enter. Instead we analysed it's inhabitance from a hill surrounded by bushes and trees that overlooked the village.

It looked eerily empty. There wasn't any indication of life within the village. It definitely seemed abandoned or maybe it was full of corpses from the raid the young girl had informed us of a few weeks ago. I shuddered at the thought of the rotting bodies that were left there by their families as they ran to safety.

"Leon. Gwaine. You two scour the border of the village. We don't want to be surprised by a sudden attack when we go down there," Arthur whispered to his knights.

They nodded and steered their horses around to scan the village's surroundings. The rest of us dismounted our horses and hid ourselves behind large bushes as we waited for them to return. I was glad to see the Arthur decided to take a precaution before entering the village. Maybe it's true that Gwen's dream was merely a dream and there was nothing we needed to worry about.

We sat in silence for some time until Merlin decided to ask Arthur a question, "So what will we be doing when we go in there?"

"I thought I had explained this to you?" Arthur asked, suspiciously.

Merlin had a blank expression on his face and slowly shook his head. I tried to suppress a giggle as Merlin's acting skills were excellent. I knew what he was doing. Merlin never forgets anything Arthur tells him. He was doing this so I knew what was going to happen, to prepare me for anything that may happen.

Arthur sighed before he began to explain the plan to Merlin for the second time, "We're going to search the village for survivors and check whether the Saxons are still there. We cannot have them invading Camelot, especially if they have a sorcerer who may have a dragon along side them."

I swallowed heavily as Arthur mentioned the dragon. I had completely forgotten about the possibility of facing a dragon. It was definitely a scary thought. Alongside Franklin and Colin, I had faced many fearsome foes, but to face a dragon would be an incredibly difficult task, even with exceptionally skilled knights, even with magic.

Suddenly, we heard rustling amongst the nearby bushes. We all stood from our place and awaited for who or what ever was behind the bushes. As we thought that it was Leon and Gwaine who had returned from their scout, we were all relaxed and didn't bother to take hold of our weapons. It was only when we heard a loud battle cry which sounded like it came from a large group of men, that we all took defensive stances. Only a few seconds after hearing the battle cry, a group of a good hundred men emerged from the bushes. They surrounded us from any possible ways back into the forest. The only way we could go was towards the village which was where Arthur ordered all of us to go.

As I was running alongside Elyan, I thought it would be a good idea to shoot arrows at the group of men from time to time, hoping that it would lessen the amount of men we would have to face once we reached the village. I was able to shoot down a few men but as I was drawing my next arrow, I tripped on a rock and fell flat on my face as the large group of men were roaring towards me. I began to panic but luckily Elyan saw me fall and pulled my arm to get me back on my feet. I smiled at him and he took my hand as we both ran down to the village where Arthur, Merlin and Percival were.

We all stood together as a group, readily awaiting the hoard of men who were running towards us. I glanced over to Merlin who was also looking at me from the corner of his eye. I knew he would probably want to use his magic and would try and find a spot hidden from the other knights once the battle begins. Suddenly, he gripped onto his sword and I looked at him quizzically.

"Arthur will worry if he doesn't see me during the battle. It will be best if I use magic and use the sword at the same time," he informed me, telepathically.

I nodded slightly to indicate to him that I had received his message.

"Wouldn't you get caught?" I asked him, also telepathically.

He gave me a slight smirk so only I could notice and replied, "I've done it before, this time wouldn't be any different."

I smiled back at him and forgot that we were having a telepathic conversation. Elyan looked at me in confusion.

I quickly turned my smile to him and said, "They have no chance. We can defeat them easily."

He chuckled. "I like your way of thinking."

A loud cry came from the first Saxon to reach us. Arthur swung his sword at him and took the first kill. That was when the rest of the men began their attack. We were surrounded by hundreds of men from every side. I could barely see in front of me. Man after man came charging at me. Swinging their swords in an erratic manner. I didn't like fighting this way. They were too close for my liking. I would rather be high up and shooting from afar. But I quickly overcame my discomfort and blocked the attacks that came at me and making my move whenever they were open to an attack.

For some time, it didn't feel like we were making any progress. As much as we struck each man down, there seemed to constantly be another Saxon right behind them. I was glad that I was able to make a path through the crowd of Saxons. Killing each one and making my way forward and eventually being out into the open space of the village.

I examined the large group and noticed that we were definitely fighting against a few hundred men. I breathed heavily trying to catch my breath as I ran backwards hoping to pull away a few men from the large crowd to lessen the amount that Merlin, Arthur and the knights would have to fight. A good twenty, or so, men began chasing after me.

When I was a few feet away from the group, I stood my ground deciding that it was a good time to face them head on. I swung my sword at the first Saxon to catch up. It didn't take me long until he was struck down by my blade. It was only when he had collapsed on the ground that I had noticed that I was surrounded by many Saxons. I was trapped. Nowhere to run. I had to calm myself and try to keep my mind clear as two men came charging at me. I was able to time it well, that I could counter both of their attacks. More and more men came to attack me, one after the other. It felt like it was never going to end.

Suddenly, five Saxons decided to take me on at once as I was able to defeat them if only two of them attacked me. I began to panic. There was too much going on at once. As I swung my sword at one of the men, another man took advantage of my open back. I was able to cut down the man in front of me but as I did so, I felt a sharp pain on my left shoulder. I screamed out in pain. I reacted to the pain by swiftly turning around and swinging my sword behind me without looking at who had attacked me. With luck, I had sliced a deep wound in the Saxon's chest causing him to collapse instantly.

I could feel my heart pulsing hard against my chest. I assumed it was because of the wound on my shoulder. The wound must have been deep as I could feel the warmth of my blood rolling down my back. I was beginning to feel light headed because of the blood loss, but I didn't succumb to the pain. I yelled to keep myself motivated as I swung my sword at them in an unpredictable manner. This worked for a little while as I was able to strike down a few men who couldn't predict where my sword was going to swing next. It was only when one of the Saxons found an opening and pushed me to the ground with his shoulder. I screamed in pain as I landed on my injured shoulder. The crowd drew in closer and I could feel that my end was coming near.

As I was about to use magic to push the crowd away, I heard the battle cry of one of the knights. The Saxons drew their attention away from me and faced the direction at which the cry had come from. I could hear the sounds of grunting and agony from the Saxons who were being struck down. Only a few moments later, I finally saw who the knight was.

"Gwaine!" I sighed with relief.

Behind him I could see a path of dead Saxons, although there were only a few bodies in comparison to the amount that were still alive. He took my right arm and hauled me up to my feet. As he began to let go, I could feel myself swaying and before I knew it, Gwaine had to hold onto my waist to keep me up straight. I placed my arm behind his neck as he helped me to safety.

The Saxons were still behind us and were quickly closing in. As I was hindering us from moving at a quicker pace, Gwaine decided to put his sword in his sheathe and carry me on his back. I would usually complain, but I knew this wasn't the time to cause an argument. If I wanted both of us to survive, this was the best way. It did make us go a lot faster than before.

We were able to lose them for a little while. Gwaine took this time to set me down within a couple of large bushes to keep me from any harm. I quickly grabbed hold of his arm as he was about to go off to help his colleagues.

"Where's Leon?" I asked through gritted teeth as the pain was becoming unbearable.

"I don't know," he said between deep breaths. "We were ambushed by the Saxons and were separated. Don't worry, I'm sure he's helping the others."

I swallowed heavily and smiled weakly. "I hope so."

Gwaine looked at me with worried eyes. "Hang in there. I'll be right back. Don't you dare die on me."

He glanced at me once more before he was ran out of the forest and out of sight.

I leaned my head back onto the tree behind me and let out a huge sigh. I tried to concentrate on my breathing as I could feel my body weakening due to the blood loss. Using my right hand, I ripped a large strip of cloth from my shirt. With difficulty, I used my hand and teeth to tie it as tightly as I could muster around my shoulder wound. Once I was done, I let my right arm crash to the ground as I barely had any strength to lift any parts of my body.

Suddenly, I heard rustling from behind the bushes. I tilted my head to towards the sound, trying to see who it was. My vision was slightly blurred as my head was pounding making it difficult to make out who the person was. I was becoming delirious but I definitely knew my mind wasn't playing tricks on me.

"You don't look very well now, do you, Jasmine?" They chuckled.

As I heard their voice, I knew who it belonged to: Morgana.


	13. Chapter 13

_Leon's POV:_

I groaned as I slowly opened my eyes. It took my eyes some time to adjust to the dim lighting of the room I was sitting in. I was surprised at the sight that greeted me. It was a place I had never been in before. There were pots and jars of liquid scattered around the room. It looked somewhat like Gaius' chambers but had a much more eerie feel to it as there were cobwebs everywhere. There was an unmade, moulding bed in the corner of the room. It was not occupied. It didn't seem like the owner was home.

I swallowed heavily as I tried to take in my surroundings. The only light source came from a small window next to a stack of shelves. "Who would live in a place like this?" I thought to myself. As I was about to push myself off the stone floor I noticed that my hands were chained together. They were connected to a long chain that was attached to the stone wall, however, it was not long enough to reach any of the furniture in the room. That was when I realised that I was being held captive, but by who?

Leaning my head on the cold, stone wall, I tried to remember what had happened while Gwaine and I had left the group to scout the surrounding areas of the village. It took me some time but it gradually came to me, piece by piece.

*Flashback*

Gwaine and I initially rode in silence as we searched for anyone who would try to ambush the group while in the village. There was definitely some sort of tension in the air. I could sense that Gwaine wanted to say something as he rode behind me. I kept quiet about it but the longer I left it, it seemed as though the tension was rising.

"Gwaine, what is it that you want to say?" I finally asked as I turned my head to glance over at him.

Gwaine was glaring at me with narrowed eyes. His jaw was stiffened and I knew he was definitely upset about something.

"Why do you _always_ have to give Jasmine a hard time?" he asked disgustedly.

I sighed angrily. Why does he constantly need to talk about Jasmine? It's between me and her. He doesn't need to get involved.

"So she was leaning on Percival, you didn't need to yell at her to wake her up," he continued. "She wasn't doing anything wrong. You know what Percival told me? She was having trouble getting to sleep because she was thinking about you."

"Enough!" I growled. "I've told you how I feel about this entire situation. Nothing is going to persuade me to think otherwise!"

I was seething. Why couldn't he just let it be? If only he knew how difficult it has been these past few weeks. How unhappy I have been seeing Jasmine walk past in the corridors without saying a single word to her. To see Gwaine being the one gradually bringing Jasmine the happiness she deserves. If only he knew what I knew about her true identity.

"Leon!"

Gwaine yelled to get my attention as I realized that he had been yelling at me for some time.

"If you don't have feelings for her anymore, just say it. She, at least, deserves to know that much so she knows that there's nothing left to hold on to." I could hear the sadness in his voice.

As much as I wanted to lie, I couldn't bring myself to do it. There was a part of me that wanted to keep her holding on to the little hope that we may be together once again. The problem was how my mind constantly contradicted what my heart wants and vice versa. One was definitely the angel and the other, the devil. If only it was clear to me which one was which.

"I still love her," I whispered weakly. It felt like my heart was slowly breaking as I said it.

Gwaine caught up to me and rode beside me. His face softened as his eyes were now filled with concern.

"Why don't you show her that you do?" He asked.

I shook me head and hung my head low.

"Leon," Gwaine began softly before his tone changed almost immediately.

"Leon!" He shouted in a state of panic.

My head shot up and I could see a group of Saxons charging towards us. Where had they come from? It seemed as if they had appeared out of nowhere. Gwaine and I turned our horses in the opposite direction to ride back to the others but only found ourselves trapped amongst a sea of Saxons. There was nothing left to do back face them head on. I leapt off my horse, as did Gwaine, and we prepared ourselves for the battle to come.

"Tell Jasmine that I'm sorry," I said to Gwaine.

I knew there was only a slight chance that we would get out of this alive. Two men against hundreds. If there was a chance of at least one of us surviving, I would protect Gwaine with my life. He wouldn't hurt Jasmine as much as I had.

His eyes widened as he heard me.

"Don't you dare! You have to patch things up with her." A smirk suddenly played on his lips. "Now let's beat these Saxons."

He charged towards the Saxons yelling at the top of his lungs. I smiled and joined him with my own battle cry. Once we reached the Saxons, I was swinging my sword left, right and centre, thinking of Jasmine as I did so. From the other knights' reaction to what's occurred between us, I could safely assume that she still had feelings for me. They could be wavering but they're still there. My mind ran with images of her. Her smiling face every time I visited her while off duty. The way she slightly smiles when she distantly looks out of Gwen's window. When she get's extremely excited to see me and jumps into my arms when I return with the other knight's when we go out for quests or patrols no matter how long we've been gone, whether it's a few weeks, days or hours. "I must return for her," I whispered to myself as I stabbed a sword into one of the Saxons' stomach.

I thought we were doing well. Slowly pushing back the ground of Saxons as one by one they collapsed onto the ground. Gwaine, eventually, was able to make a path out of the sea of Saxons and managed to free himself from the tight area into the free air of the forest. As I was following him out, swinging my sword as I did so, Gwaine turned around to face me. He smiled at me with such triumph before his eyes suddenly widened. "Behind you!" He yelled, but before I could turn around to see what he was yelling about, I felt something hit the back of my head with such an enormous force that I had blacked out.

*End Flashback*

I rubbed the back of my head with my chained hands as if I could still feel the pain. I could feel a lump where I was hid but it didn't hurt as I touched it. "I hope Gwaine made it safely to the others," I thought to myself. As I thought back to what I said during battle, I wondered who would take me to a place like this instead of leaving me to die. I swallowed heavily as I questioned whether Jasmine may have been behind all this. Did she tell the Saxon's that we would be there? How else would they have known? Maybe I was right about Jasmine all along. She couldn't be trusted.

I groaned loudly as I found it difficult to accept that Jasmine would actually do such a thing. I definitely had doubts in my mind which caused me to push her away but when the truth is actually revealed, the pain is incomprehensible. As I shook my head roughly to try and remove the negative thoughts from my mind, the door began to squeak open. Who ever was behind the door would reveal the truth about everything.

When I saw the person behind the door, I couldn't believe it. Jasmine. But she wasn't concious. She was being carried by another person. My eyes widened as I saw who it was. That was when everything began to make sense.

"Looks like you're finally concious," she smirked as she laid Jasmine onto the bed.

"Morgana," I snarled under my breath.

I glanced over to Jasmine and saw her left shoulder bandaged with a soaking wet cloth of blood. I gasped. Did she? Did Morgana? No. My heart started to pound in my chest as I looked at Jasmine's limp body on the bed. I watched it intently, hoping to see some sort of movement to assure me that she was alive. Nothing. I needed to get to her. I wanted to hold her in my arms. Wake her up. See signs of life when she opens her eyes to see that I had accepted that I was wrong. I tugged viciously at my chains, hoping that it would be enough force to free me, but instead I was pulled towards the wall with the same force. Instead of collapsing onto the ground in defeat, I tried once more and then once more after that.

"As much as you try, you will not be able to free yourself," Morgana said to me with a stern look on her face as she examined Jasmine's body.

Clenching my fists, I stared angrily at Morgana. What was she planning to do to Jasmine? Suddenly, she raised her hand above Jasmine's injured shoulder. I began to panic and continued to pull harshly at my chains.

"Silence!" Morgana exclaimed without looking away from Jasmine. "Do you want me to heal her or not?"

My eyes widened. Did I hear correctly? I stopped pulling and sat on the ground silently. I was in a state of confusion and asked in bewilderment, "You're going to heal her?"

"She is of much use to me unlike you," she explained. "Now, quiet! She doesn't have much time."

I couldn't believe it. Morgana seemed so concerned about Jasmine, but why? What made Jasmine so important to her? I couldn't comprehend what was happening. Was Jasmine part of Morgana's plan to take Camelot or is Jasmine working alongside Morgana? My mind was running with different possibilities as I watched Morgana cast a spell on Jasmine. She unwrapped Jasmine's shoulder to reveal the gruesome image of a deep, bloody wound. As her hand hovered over Jasmine's injury, she muttered incoherent words. Suddenly, as she cast the incantation, the wound began to heal and once it was done, Jasmine's shoulder looked at good as new. Only the remnants of dry blood were left on her skin.

"She'll make a full recovery," Morgana said as she turned to face me.

Just as I thought that she may have had a change of heart, a smirk broke upon her lips.

"Now, as for you, Leon," she began as she walked towards me. "You are of no use to me. Well, once I obtain information that I find helpful."

She quickly took a jar from her messy table and stood right in front of me.

"You will never get anything from me," I growled as I glared at her.

"Not with a little help."

As she said this, she pulled a small, black snake from the jar. It hissed at me as she drew it closer. A cold sweat formed on the back of my neck. I swallowed heavily as I knew that death was upon me.

"Don't worry. Once this is over, I will hand you over to Jasmine and you will be able to see her happy face again. That is if you survive," she chuckled to herself and lowered the snake closer to my neck.

I began to squirm hoping to get away from the snake. As I turned my head away from it, it took it's chance and I could feel it enter my skin. It was a weird and painful sensation. I screamed out in agony, collapsing onto the ground. I was squirming on my side as the pain was too much to hold myself up. I tried for as long as I could to resist allowing the snake to enter my mind to reveal the secrets of Camelot. It was to the point that I could feel my head spinning and had to close my eyes to concentrate. I could feel myself going in and out of consciousness until my body could no longer handle the pain and allowed myself to enter the black abyss of unconsciousness.


	14. Chapter 14

_Jasmine's POV:_

An ear piercing scream reached my ears causing my eyes to jolt open instantly. I turned my head to the left to where the scream had come from. I gasped at what I saw. Leon's lifeless body lying on the ground at Morgana's feet. I pushed myself up and off what seemed to be an uncomfortable, mouldy, old bed. I ran towards Leon, knelt down and clutched his body in my arms. It was faint but my strong ears could hear his weak breaths to indicate that he was still alive. My heart raced as his face showed me that he was still in agony. I felt something move on the back of his neck. As I examined it, I realised what Morgana had done.

"Why?" I choked, holding back tears, as I looked up at Morgana.

She smirked and looked thoughtfully into the distance.

"I was hoping to get some useful information from him. Unfortunately, he is terribly stubborn. You should be wary of that if you want to get your way in the relationship."

I narrowed my eyes and glared at her.

"Get it out of him NOW!" I growled.

She began to laugh. I was not impressed. If I was to get that thing out of Leon, I would have to do it by force. I took advantage of the fact that Morgana was too busy laughing at my pain and focused on Morgana's neck. Her face changed instantly to pain. When she realised what was happening, her eyes shot to me. She raised her hands to her neck trying to grab hold of something that wasn't there.

"I'll release you if you remove it from his neck," I said harshly.

Morgana weakly nodded her head to indicate to me that she will succumb to my wishes. She gasped as I released her. I allowed her to have a few moments to catch her breath. I eyed her to make sure that she would do as I wished. She had a look in her eye that I didn't expect to see from her. It almost looked like she was in fear, but why? Was she expecting me to pity her? After what she's put Leon through? I scoffed and continued to watch her closely as she used her hands to cup the area of Leon's neck where the snake seemed to be residing.

After Morgana muttered a few words, I could hear the snake hiss as it exited Leon's body onto Morgana's palms. I looked back at Leon's face and sighed with relief as his expression relaxed into his normal, calm, sleeping face. I whispered my gratitude without looking away from Leon's angelic face. I caressed his cheek and could feel that the warmth was fading. He was close to death. I had to get him out of this place but how? Morgana definitely would not allow us to leave freely.

I could suddenly hear Morgana whispering something that I couldn't quite understand. However, when the snake hissed angrily at me, I knew that I was next to feel its wrath. I gently laid Leon's head on the ground without looking away from the snake.

"W-what are you doing?" My bottom lip quivered.

"Don't think that I healed you to not get anything in return," she smirked. The fear in her eyes had disappeared leaving the look of determination.

I quickly looked down at my left shoulder surprised to see that it was fully healed. The blood had dried on the bandage that was now hanging loosely on my shoulder. The pain was no longer there as I moved my shoulder up and down. As there was no longer any use for the bandage, I unravelled it and let it fall to the floor.

The sound of Morgana's footsteps were drawing closer. I turned my gaze towards her. My heart racing as the snake hissed. If I didn't do something soon, I would be left in the same position as Leon and would be left to the inevitable fate of death. I took a deep breath and as she took another step closer, I yelled as loud as I could throwing her and the serpent into the stone wall. I took a couple to seconds to calm myself before pulling Leon up and wrapping his arm behind my neck. I held onto his waist to get some sort of balance and slowly made my way out of the room and into the forest.

Once I thought we were far enough away from Morgana, I placed Leon down amongst some shrubbery that would hide him from any predators. I laid my ear to his chest and could hear his faint heart beat. It was definitely weakening.

Raising my hand above his chest, I closed my eyes and concentrated on the sounds of the forest.

"Heofonléoht cwæ gehælan innanwund. Ic behéfþ hine."

As I opened my eyes, the trees above us seemed to move to allow the rays of the sun illuminate Leon's body. I wasn't quite sure whether the spell had worked so I placed my hand on his check. It was no longer cold which indicate to me that blood was now flowing normally throughout his body. But to be absolutely certain, I placed my ear onto his chest again. Instantly, a smile was plastered onto my face as I could hear his heart beating strongly. I sighed with relief as I sat back, leaning on a log that was beside Leon.

I watched Leon's sleeping body intently waiting for him to wake up from his slumber. The night began to cover the sky. I began to worry as I needed to find some firewood to keep Leon's body warm from the harsh weather of the night. It was only when I could feel the cool winds beginning to enter the forest floor that I decided to collect some firewood. I quickly ran through the forest to find some decent firewood nearby. I was able to find a few good branches that I thought would be able to keep the fire alight for some time. I swiftly ran back to Leon and smiled with relief to see that everything was as I had left it.

The sounds of movement behind me caused me to pause before quickly lighting the fire on the pieces of wood. I turned to see Leon had finally woken up. He slowly blinked his eyes and seemed to be in a state of confusion. He turned his head in my direction. His eyes widened as he recognised me.

"Jasmine?" He croaked.

"Yes, it's me," I responded. I shuffled closer to him and took hold of him hand.

He smiled weakly.

Suddenly, he looked like he was deep in thought before saying in a hoarse voice, "Jasmine, I'm so sorry. It was Morgana all along. If only-"

I hushed him before he could continue. He was still quite weak and definitely needed something to quench his thirst. I excused myself and told him to get some more rest. He cringed as he tried to push himself up to stop me.

"Leon," I sighed. "You've been through a lot. Get some rest. I'll be right back. I don't want you to die from thirst." I chuckled to lighten the mood.

"Come back soon," he whispered as he gave me a weak smile before lying back down.

I ran swiftly to the nearby stream that I had passed while carrying Leon into the forest. I slowed down as I had almost crashed into a low tree branch. Running in the forest while it's pitch black was not a great idea. I could hear the trickling water of the stream as I walked closer in it's direction. I took my water bottle that was attached to my belt and knelt down next to the stream. The cool water from the stream ran passed my fingertips as I placed the bottle into the water. It was quite soothing. The eerie silence of the night was now filled with the sounds of flowing water from the stream. I looked up at the starry sky and sighed. "Maybe everything will be back as it was before," I thought to myself as a smile formed on my face.

Once I had filled the bottle, I made my way back to Leon. I placed the water bottle next to his head so when he wakes up, it would be easily accessible for him. I carefully brushed a strand of hair from his face to get a better look at him. So peaceful. I was glad that everything was finally in it's place. The doubt was no longer in Leon's mind.

I sat back, leaning onto the log and watched over Leon. Even though, this may have rekindled my relationship with Leon, a thought came into my mind. What of Morgana now? She definitely wasn't going to disappear from my existence. Especially since I had threatened her and thrown her into a wall. This wouldn't be the last time she would attack Leon, that's for sure; and what of the others in Camelot? My father and the people of Friardor? There was no-way she would just let everything go. Did I just make everything worse? If she wasn't a threat to Camelot and Friardor before, she definitely was now. I have angered the beast.

As my mind was swirling with different possibilities, something had caught my eye. Leon seemed to have something gripped in his right hand. I slowly and carefully pulled it from his grasp without waking him. It was an emerald green material with different symbols and markings on it. Three interwoven triangles above a horse standing on it's hind legs and two swords behind the horse forming an 'X'. Two words were above the interwoven triangles: "æt fria" and "æt árian". They translate to "to love" and "to honor". Something else was written below the horse: "æt forcompan ánfealdnes" which translates to "to fight for unity".

My eyes widened and a gasped in horror as I realised what it was. I turned it over to reveal my name stitched on at the back: "Jasmine Wolstenholme, Princess of Friardor". My eyes wandered to Leon. How did he get hold of my royal crest?

_**A/N: I just want to wish you guys a Happy Easter. Hope you get heaps of chocolate! :)**_


	15. Chapter 15

Morning could not have arrived any slower. I stayed awake for most of the night to keep watch while Leon was still recuperating from the injuries Morgana had inflicted on him. When Leon had awoken, he eventually convinced me that he was perfectly fine to take over and allow me to get some rest. However, I could't get any sleep. My mind was restless. Leon know's who I am, my true identity. He know's that I'm the Princess of Friardor. He know's that I've been lying to him all this time and yet he has not approached me about it. It doesn't seem to bother him that I'm the Princess of another Kingdom.

I'm certain that he hasn't made the connection that Friardor is a Kingdom that allows the use of magic. It was only due to my mother that magic entered the Kingdom. Magic was a secret that everyone in the Kingdom had kept to themselves. I never understood why. I assumed it was to prevent any wars occurring with other Kingdoms as most Kingdoms have now rejected the thought of magic being used in their lands.

My eyes were closed as I pretended to be asleep while Leon gently shook my shoulder. I groaned, acting as though I still wanted a few more moments to sleep. I could hear Leon chuckle as he shook my shoulder slightly rougher. "Come now, Jasmine," he said softly. "I'm sure the others are worried about us." I had to act ignorant. He couldn't find out that I had seen him with my royal crest. I had just got him back. The thought of losing him again was unbearable.

Eventually, I sat up and took Leon's hand so he could pull me up onto my feet. I didn't say a word to him. I just looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back and caressed my cheek with his hand causing my cheeks to grow warm. I could see it in his eyes, we were back to our love-struck ways. There was a glint in his eyes as he looked into mine. For a moment, I had forgotten that he knew of my true identity. But when it all rushed back to me, I quickly turned away from his gaze. "You're right, the others must be worried. We better hurry back." I took hold of his hand and lead the way back towards the citadel.

There was a big commotion when we had arrived. We stood at the bottom of the stairs of the castle to see both the King and Queen, Merlin, Gauis and the knights running down the stairs to greet us. Leon and I must have looked horrible. Our torn clothes, the stains of dry blood on my clothes and my bare left arm and our faces showing the signs of the rough time we had in the woods. My hand was still holding his. I glanced to look at his face and noticed that he was already looking at me. A smile radiating from his face. I sighed and tightened my grip on his hand. I had the urge to tightly embrace him but I knew I would have time to do that later. I was certain that Leon and I would be ambushed by questions from the people rushing towards us.

I was startled by the sudden embrace from Gwen causing me to release Leon's hand to hug her back. I couldn't quite understand what she was saying as her voice was muffled by the combination of my shoulder and the tears of joy that, I could sense, were streaming down her face. Chuckling, I softly patted her back to calm her. Looking up, I could see Leon was surrounded by the knights. Shaking his hand, ruffling his hair, joking around. He caught sight of me looking in his direction. I was certain that it was only for a few seconds, but it felt like we were held in each other's gaze for a long time. It felt like no-one else was around us. It was just me and him in the courtyard just admiring each other from afar.

"We should get you cleaned up," Gwen said, causing me to look back at her as she released me from her grasp.

Once I had cleaned myself up, I walked into Gwen's chambers to see her admiring one of her dresses. It was a gorgeous dress. Rudy red made from silken material. Gwen's face lit up as she realised that I had entered the room. She carried the dress with her as she made her way towards me. She handed me the dress. I looked at her quizzically.

"You have to wear something nice for the feast tonight," I great big smile was plastered across her face.

This was the first I heard of this feast. I was still extremely confused. I've never had to wear anything of value to any of the feasts as I would always be assisting in serving the platters to the guests. Gwen must have noticed that I was still confused and began to explain.

"We're celebrating your return."

My eyes widened. "What? B-but I'm a servant."

"Yes, but you're very special to all of us. Don't worry, we're also celebrating Leon's return."

"But that's because he's a knight!" I blurted. I gasped as I realised how rude I must have sounded and quickly apologised.

Gwen just chuckled and tried to calm me down. "Jasmine, no matter what you tell me, we are still having this feast for you and Leon. Now, let's get you into this dress."

She took my hand and dragged me behind a screen to get dressed. I sighed as put on the highly expensive dress. I had forgotten how comfortable royalty dresses were in comparison to one worn by servants. It had been months since I had last felt the soft textures of my dresses back in Friardor. As I looked down at the dress, I began to feel slightly homesick. I bit my bottom lip, resisting tears from running down my face. I took a deep breath to calm myself before walking out to be greeted by Gwen's radiant smile. "It's absolutely perfect on you!" She exclaimed, motioning for me to turn around so she could see the dress at every angle. I obediently moved around in a small circle as I could feel my cheeks grow warmer. She looked me up and down before eyeing my hair which was lying lifeless on my shoulders. I began to feel self-conscious and started to fiddle with the ends of my hair. "Ah!" She finally exclaimed and sat me down in front of her dresser so she could start doing my hair.

I watched her through the mirror. She had experimented with a few different styles until she was finally content. I couldn't remove the smile on my face. Gwen was able to replicate the same hairstyle my mother once had. What surprised me even more was how much I looked like my mother. My hair was up with a few small plaits in a messy bun. My fringe off to one side with a couple of strands of my naturally wavy hair falling on my cheeks. I stood up from my seat and gave Gwen a tight embrace. If only I could tell her how grateful I was and how much this hairstyle meant to me. Gwen also got dressed in a beautiful royal blue gown. She looked so elegant. She left her hair as it was, half up and half down.

We were both finally ready for the feast and made our way down to the dining hall. Before we entered, we were greeted by Arthur and Leon. Leon took my right hand in his and kissed the back of my it. I swallowed heavily as I tried to keep myself calm. I gave Leon an embarrassed smile as I followed Gwen's actions by linking my arm with Leon's. We walked behind Gwen and Arthur who entered the dining hall first. I found the whole ordeal very embarrassing. It's not that I'm not used to walking in a room with the attention focused on me. I would always have to do this back in Friardor during special occasions. However, this was not in Friardor. This was happening in Camelot. A place where people know me as Gwen's servant. A lowly classed servant. It definitely was not normal for a servant to be the centre of such festivities.

At the table, I was seated between Leon and Gwen. My hand shook as I took hold of my chalice as Arthur acknowledged those who were present, particularly myself and Leon. Once Arthur had finished, we all took a sip from our chalices. My hand was still shaking as I placed my chalice back onto the table. As I rested my hands on my lap, I could feel someone else's hand laying on top of them. I turned to Leon who gave me a gentle smile.

"It's alright. No need to be so nervous," he whispered.

I gave him an unconvincing smile which caused him to take hold of my right hand. He leaned in closer and whispered in my ear, "You look beautiful."

I could feel my cheeks burning as he continued, "All these people are looking at you because they are drawn to your beauty. A beauty that is fit for a Princess."

I was startled by his last comment and excused myself from the table. I walked out of the room, leaving Leon in a state of bewilderment. It was definitely unreasonable for me to suddenly leave the room but the knowledge that Leon has my royal crest had washed over me to the point where I wanted to tell him, to explain myself. But what if it drives him away?

Suddenly, for a moment, the chattering sound of the people in the dining hall became louder indicating to me that someone had also left the room. I assumed that it was Leon but was surprised when I saw Gwaine walking towards me in the hallway.

"You do know that it is rude to leave a celebration early, especially when it's about you," he said with his usual cheeky smile as he walked closer.

I rubbed the back of my neck and replied, "I'm not used to something like this. I just needed some air."

Gwaine chuckled. "I understand where you're coming from, these formal gatherings are quite boring but once all the speeches are over, you could have as much food and mead as you want."

I shook my head at him disapprovingly with a huge smile on my face. Such a typical Gwaine thing to say.

"I'm glad you're alright," he said in a more serious tone but still with a grin on his face. "When I couldn't find you in those bushes, you have no idea how worried I was. But I'm happy that you and Leon found each other. He told me everything that happened. Of course that sorcerer was Morgana, to think that we didn't see it earlier."

"It's alright," I reassured him. "I'm just glad that everything worked out in the end."

Gwaine nodded and took a step closer. "I didn't get the chance to give you a hug since Gwen kept you all to herself when you arrived."

I laughed, wrapped my arms around his torso and hugged him tightly.

"Happy now?" I smirked.

Suddenly, I heard someone behind Gwaine clear their throat. I moved my head to the side to get a better look behind Gwaine. Leon stood their with confusion written all over his face. Gwaine also turned his head and as he noticed who it was, quickly released me from his grasp.

"Now, now Leon, no need to get jealous. You know that you're the only one who's taken her heart," he said playfully.

Leon chuckled and slyly replied, "Something you should always keep in mind, Gwaine."

They gave each other childish grins before Gwaine said, "We better get back inside before they wonder where you two have gone off to."

As he began to walk back towards the dining hall, I called after him, "We won't be a minute. I just need to speak to Leon for a little while. Keep them entertained for us."

Gwaine lifted his right arm and gave a slight wave to acknowledge what I had said as he continued his way towards the door. I thought this was the best time to confront Leon. To finally understand how he felt about this new knowledge about me. Also, for me to find out how he got hold of my royal crest. I turned to face Leon and was startled when I noticed that he was standing right behind me. He had a worried look on his face.

"What did you want to speak to me about?" He asked as he furrowed his brow.

I took a deep breath to calm myself before I began. I could feel my legs shaking from underneath me and my hands were slightly trembling. But I knew I had to bring it up. I had too many questions built up inside of me.

"Ok," I finally said once I had built up enough strength to open my mouth. "I-I know you have something of mine in your possession. Something very important to me. D-do you have it with you now?" My bottom lip wouldn't stop quivering.

His face was blank but I knew that he understood what I was talking about. I asked him again with slight aggression, "Leon, do you have it with you?"

He gave me no response. It annoyed me that he wouldn't give me any sort of answer. He was just standing there without any acknowledgement to my question. I huffed as my irritation was building inside of me.

"Leon, please. You know what I'm talking about," I began to plead.

Finally, he looked down sadly and slowly pulled my royal crest from under his chain mail. He unfolded it and held it in his hands to reveal the images of my royal crest. I could see the he was upset. His eyes looked wearily at me as I took the crest from him to take a closer look. It definitely was my royal crest. I wasn't imagining it when I had last saw it.

"So you are a Princess," he said, but seemed like he was trying to comprehend it by saying it out loud.

I nodded slowly. "I can explain. Just please do not tell anyone. I will explain everything to you, but promise me that no-one else will hear of this."

He was still having trouble processing the truth about me. It surprised me. I thought he wouldn't be this affected seeing as he's already seen my crest. But I supposed that hearing it from me was the confirmation he needed to know that it wasn't a hoax, that I truly am the Princess of Friardor.

We stood in silence for some time. The silence was only broken by the squeaking of the dining room doors. I turned to see Arthur walking towards us. I glanced over to Leon and saw that he had composed himself to show no signs of what he had heard. It was if nothing had happened, that I didn't reveal to him that I was a Princess.

"Ah!" Arthur exclaimed. "There you two are. Your guests have been looking for you."

"Sorry, Sire," Leon apologised. "Jasmine was feeling nervous about the whole ordeal, but I think everything is sorted now."

I gave a weak smile and nodded.

"Good. We better have you two back in the dining hall then," Arthur said, motioning for us to re-enter the room.

Leon and I walked side by side as we entered the hall as Arthur followed. I could feel that tonight was going to be a long night. I was certain that after the feast, just as much as I had a list of questions for Leon, I knew I also had a whole lot of explaining to do.


	16. Chapter 16

"You're still here?"

I jumped at the sound of Merlin's voice. He was standing in the doorway of Gauis' chambers, oddly eyeing me. I sighed and motioned him to sit down next to me on the wooden bench. He had been gone for an hour or so, thinking that I would leave the room shortly after he did. Except to his surprise I was still seated in the same place. I didn't move a muscle. Before he had left to attend to his duties, I had explained to him about my predicament with Leon.

After the feast, it was way too late to have a conversation. Leon had to wake up bright and early the next day for their morning patrol. He decided that the conversation could be postponed until the next day. I agreed as I was exhausted since I wasn't able to get a good night's sleep the night before. We both agreed to meet at the bottom of the palace stairs after lunch so we could have some time to ourselves in the forest. However, instead of heading to the meeting place after serving Gwen's lunch, I went to Gauis' chambers hoping to catch Merlin. I informed him that Leon now knew about my true identity and how we were to meet after lunch.

"Leon's probably wondering where you are," Merlin said as he sat next to me.

I didn't reply. I was still worried about how Leon would react when I explain everything to him. Would he still accept me? Would he tell Arthur? Would he give up on what we have because I'm a Princess? I was beginning to find it difficult to breathe and Merlin noticed this. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and tried to calm me down.

"Jasmine," he said softly as he hushed me. "You won't know how he feels about it until you go and talk to him."

"I know how he feels about this. He wouldn't say anything after I told him," I said as my voice shook with fear.

"He was surprised by it all," Merlin reassured me. "I'm sure you would be, too, if it came out of no-where. Give him a chance to let you know how he truly feels about you." He stood up from his seat and held his hand towards me. "Come now. You can't leave him waiting forever."

I sighed and took hold of his hand so he could pull me up onto my feet. Merlin was right. He usually always was with these things. I had to talk to Leon. I needed some closure on what we have, or had.

When I walked down the stairs, I was greeted by Leon who had two horses beside him. One of them seemed to be carrying a lot of items. I didn't know what the items were as they were covered by sheets. I assumed that Leon was planning to surprise me with something. Usually I liked surprises but since I was already quite on edge with where our conversation would lead, I wasn't looking forward to finding out what was under those sheets.

We didn't say anything to each other as I walked towards him. He just gave me a sweet smile and I returned it shyly. Leon helped me up onto my horse before getting onto his own. Nothing. No words were exchanged during the ride into the woods. No explanation of where we were going. No small talk to make the journey seem shorter. I was beginning to get worried. Where was he taking me? How far did he want to travel? It felt like we had travelled for a good couple of hours until we reached an small valley with a narrow stream nearby. We said absolutely nothing until we arrived at our destination. The silence was only broken by Leon saying, "We're here" to indicate that we no longer needed to travel any further.

As I dismounted my horse, I began to feel quite parched. I took my water bottle from the saddle but as I was about to drink from it, I realise that it was empty. I sighed. "Luckily there's a stream nearby," I thought to myself. I informed Leon where I was heading. He nodded and it seemed like he was trying to suppress a cheeky smile. What was he planning?

I shrugged it off and quickly made my way to the stream. I took the opportunity to try and compose myself while I had some time to myself. The soothing sounds of the water trickling down the stream calmed me down. Once I knew I had built up enough courage to face Leon again, I quickly splashed cold water from the stream onto my face and took a deep breath. I had to face him some time, best to get it over and done with.

My eyes widened as when I returned to the open valley. Laid out in front of me must have been the items that Leon's poor horse had to carry. Leon was sitting on the sheets that were originally covering the items that were now surrounding him. There were an array of different food. My eyes were drawn to the huge variety of colour from the assortment of fruits that were in a basket. I looked over at Leon who was beaming with pride. He motioned for me to sit beside him. I slowly staggered towards him as I was still quite disorientated.

"W-what is all this?" I managed to ask as I sat myself down next to Leon.

"I've always wanted to take you out into the forest like this." He's expression suddenly looked concerned. "Do you not like it?"

"N-no, I love it!" I quickly exclaimed. "You just took me by surprise, that's all."

He gave a sigh of relief and smiled.

"So you're not upset about it?" I asked cautiously.

Understanding what I was talking about, he took my hands in his and looked deeply into my eyes.

"No, I'm not upset," he replied softly. "I apologize for not giving you an immediate respose yesterday. So what brought you here? Why are you in Camelot?"

I swallowed heavily. This was it. Time to tell Leon the whole truth about me. Even though he said he accepted who I was, what about after I explain everything to him? Will he still see me in the same way? Will it deter him from continuing these feelings he has for me? It was about time I found out. I composed myself and began to explain my predicament concerning my father, the death of my mother and my rebellion.

"Franklin and Colin, you were telling the truth about them being knights all this time?" He asked once I had finished explaining the close relationship I had with Franklin and Colin.

I nodded and smiled at the thought of my two friends. "Yes, but I didn't exactly see them as knights. We acted more like siblings rather than my subjects."

Leon chuckled. "I see, now, why you were so comfortable around the knights. Usually, the townspeople try to stay out of our way and not be seen. You, on the other hand, would always be around."

I laughed and thought of all the times I would stop in the hallways whenever I came across any of the knights and have a good laugh. Definitely not shy around the knights unlike the other servants in the castle.

"Once you overlook the tough exterior you knights show everyone, you come to realise that knights are very approachable and easy to talk to," I said light-heartedly before cautiously asking. "So it doesn't bother you that I'm not who I said I was?"

Leon looked thoughtfully up at the clear, blue sky before looking back at me to reply. "At first, when I had first come across your royal crest while searching your house, I was certain that the young girl had been telling the truth: that you were the sorcerer. Don't worry, I kept it to myself. But after the endless conversations I had with Percival, Elyan and Gwaine, majority was with Gwaine-" I chuckled as he said Gwaine's name exhaustedly. "-it just confused me even more. I cared for you. I loved you, and I still do now-" A huge smile formed on my face as he said this. I took hold of him hands and caressed them as he continued. "-so it was difficult for me to decide what to do. I'm just glad to know that it was Morgana and not you."

I nodded. "I'm glad that everything is finally out in the open. Thank you."

He looked at me in confusion. "Why?"

"For understanding and accepting who I am," I said with a smile.

He smiled back but then panic ran across his face. "What will your father make of us?"

I swallowed heavily before replying confidently. "Leave him to me. He is tough to persuade but I've inherited my mother's charm. No matter what it takes, I will persuade my father to see that this is right." I chuckled as he sighed in relief.

We both jumped at the sound of rustling amongst the nearby bushes. I looked towards the direction the sound was coming from as Leon quickly stood up from his place and gripped onto his sword, preparing himself for a sudden attack. To our surprise, Gwaine and Percival emerged into sight. I sighed disapprovingly and began to say, "Please don't tell me you've been watching-" but stopped immediately as I saw the expressions on their faces. Worried and panic-stricken. Leon noticed this straight away and quickly made his way towards them as he asked, "What's happened?"

The two knights looked exhausted. It took them some time to get their breath back. Leon and I just watched, anxiously waiting for them to respond. Gwaine was the first to manage a few words, "I-it's Camelot." I quickly stood up from my place, worried about the news that something tragic may have happened in the Kingdom. I glanced over at Leon and saw that he was beginning to worry. He urged them for a quicker response until Percival finally responded with something I hoped I would never hear.

"Camelot is under attack."


End file.
